Anchor: Gracie Fusco
•6/10/2026
COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK)—Road signs directing drivers to Alligator Alcatraz have been repeatedly stolen and replaced, raising questions about taxpayer spending.
A Collier County resident contacted WINK News after noticing the signs at the intersection of U.S. 41 and State Road 29 had disappeared multiple times over the past year. Each time the signs vanish, they are replaced by the Florida Department of Transportation.
The resident, who asked to remain anonymous, said the thefts have become a pattern.
"One of them has been stolen, probably at least three or four times now; the other one two or three times; and the other one, probably two or three times," she said.
What surprises her most is how quickly FDOT replaces the stolen signs. The most recent theft involved a sign leading out of Everglades City, which was back up within a week.
"This last one that was stolen, the one that leads out of Everglades City, I think it was replaced, I mean, definitely within a week," she said.
Now she and other community members are questioning the cost of the replacements and whether the signs are even necessary.
"At this point seems a little silly, because we're supposed to be, you know, ramping this operation down, so why are we, why are we taking the time and spending the money to replace these signs?" she said.
WINK News reached out to FDOT to ask how many times the signs have been replaced, how much those replacements cost, and why the signs continue to be reinstalled.
Our team is waiting on a response.
