Anchor: Corey Lazar
•8/24/2026
CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK) — A Cape Coral family's driveway and a portion of the road along Northwest 16th Terrace is caving in, and they fear parts of their garage could be next.
Jack and Denise Johnson came to WINK Listens begging for help after what started as a dip in the road turned into a crumbled driveway and a crumbled sense of safety. Jack Johnson said he can't get into his driveway because the concrete has shifted significantly.
"That driveway looked perfect up into a year ago," Jack Johnson said.
WINK News anchor Corey Lazar went to see the damage firsthand. The minute you pull up, it's obvious the Johnson's driveway and a portion of the road is caving in.
"I'm looking for somebody to put their eyes on it," Jack Johnson said.
The Johnsons blame the new 7-Eleven building process that started about a year ago at Chiquita and Diplomat. Their house is right behind it.
"I didn't have any problems at all until they started digging for that 7-Eleven," Denise Johnson said.
Denise Johnson said the first sign of a problem was water pooling at the bottom of their driveway when it would rain. A year later, the street, yard and driveway just keep sinking.
The city of Cape Coral said the city manager and the public works director came to see it firsthand and hired a geotechnical consultant to drill into the roadway to see what's happening to the ground underneath. The city said at this time, they do not know the cause of the roadway settlement, so they cannot confirm any connection to nearby construction. The homeowner was advised not to use the driveway out of an abundance of caution while the city evaluates the roadway conditions.
For the Johnsons, the waiting game isn't just a game. It's waiting for their home's foundation to be affected next.
"My house is going to fall in," Denise Johnson said. "You never know, because it's almost in the driveway. You can't see it from back here, but it's up to where the little garage is there. And if it moves any farther, it's going to be inside the garage."
Lazar sent a list of follow-up questions to the city, including whether any work can be done right now to prevent the Johnson's property from caving in even more. Lazar also reached out to 7-Eleven for a comment.
Statement from the City of Cape Coral:
Our preliminary observations confirm that the roadway has experienced noticeable settlement in front of the property, and the amount of settlement varies across the lot. The City Manager and the Public Works Director have both visited the site to observe conditions firsthand. Drilling is being performed by a geotechnical consultant hired by the City. They are conducting subsurface borings in the roadway as part of a geotechnical investigation to help us understand the conditions below the road and determine the cause of the settlement.
At this time, we do not know the cause of the roadway settlement, so we cannot confirm any connection to nearby construction. The homeowner was advised not to use the driveway out of an abundance of caution while we evaluate the roadway conditions."
"City staff met with the homeowner last week and explained that our immediate priority is repairing the public roadway and restoring safe access. We are continuing to evaluate the broader circumstances and will determine any necessary additional steps as the review progresses. Questions involving adjacent private property are still being assessed. We will share additional information when it is available. Work on the roadway is anticipated to start this month."
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