North Fort Myers man gets 60-day extension after WINK News steps in

NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla. (WINK) — A North Fort Myers man received a code enforcement notice demanding he remove two storage containers from his property within 15 days, despite having them there for four years without issue.

Patrick Webb's property stretches across two and a half lots in North Fort Myers. On one of them, he sits two shipping containers he uses for storage.

"It's not hurting anybody," Webb said. "I only have one neighbor, and he doesn't have a problem with it."

After receiving the letter warning him to move the containers, Webb reached out to the person assigned to his case to ask about the issue and whether he could have an extension. He says he didn't get a solid answer.

As the 15-day deadline approached, Webb came to WINK Listens in Fort Myers for help.

"I'm just really kind of frustrated and, uh, well, I'm 68. I'll be 69 Sunday," Webb said. "And, uh, I'm on a fixed income, you know, Social Security. So to get it moved, it would cost probably somewhere between $500 to $1,000, just to have them moved off my property."

Webb was faced with selling one bin and scrambling to find the resources to move the other. The letter warned that if he didn't comply in time, he would face a $1,000-per-day fine.

"Then $1,000 a day, you know, fine, that's really kinda like outrageous," Webb said.

Webb reached back out to code enforcement, while WINK News reached out to Lee County to ask about an extension on his behalf. The county says there have been 165 code violations of this kind cited since January 2025.

When property owners need an extension and show signs of correcting the issue, they can be granted an extension. Hours after WINK News reached out, Webb got his 60-day extension.

He's waiting to hear if it's possible to move one of the containers to a different side of his property that is zoned commercial.