If you will drive through the north end of Cape Coral, you will notice that here are vacant homes because of foreclosures and it can become worrisome especially for the next door neighbors because these abandoned homes can attract looters.

A new website known as Nextdoor would like to take away fear in communities through the use of technology.  In just a couple of mouse clicks, you can know the people living in your neighborhood and even interact with them virtually. You can update each other if there are any suspicious individuals roaming around the neighborhood. In Cape Coral, there are about six neighborhoods that are already using the website and in the state of Florida there are more than 250.

To begin using the website, just draw the boundaries of the neighborhood desired. Once a neighborhood is created, those who are interested to join must first prove that they actually live within the boundaries. They can prove this by confirming through mail or email. Then they can post as much or as little information about yourself online.

The goal of the website is to bring sense of community back. Residents can use the website to improve Cape Coral property management and improve the safety of the community. Connected neighborhoods can use it to organize a garage sale or to find available nannies or pets that are missing. It is like a Facebook, but it is made especially for neighbors.

Cape Coral, a municipality in Lee County is the eleventh largest in Florida in terms of population. In this “Waterfront Wonderland” more than 154,000 residents live in this part of the county.  The economy in this section is based on local government services, health care, retail and real estate construction. Part of Cape Coral’s property management program is to increase the number of restaurants in the area where people can dine and enjoy local activities.

In the past 18 months, more than a dozen new restaurants have opened East and West along Cape Coral Parkway and its side streets. Pine Island Road, which is home to large format chains like Olive Garden and Outback Steakhouse, has new south Cape restaurants. According to Mike Quaintance, president of the Cape Coral Chamber of Commerce “There are so many places in Fort Myers where people can go, but you don’t have anything like this in the Cape; the kind of food we’re doing, the kinds of cocktails – we’re really just trying to get the people who are going into Fort Myers for this stuff to stay local.” Aside from Pine Island Road, locals and tourists alike can walk across Cape Coral Parkway and enjoy jazz music from Brew Babies. The courtyard is always packed with diners and music enthusiasts. Locals also love Lobster Lady Seafood Market & Bistro, because of their excellent service and scrumptious menu, and people do not mind waiting for a table. It is a sight becoming more common in south Cape Coral.

Restaurant and retail stores owners are motivated to put up their businesses in Cape Coral because the municipality in densely populated and the commercial rent is very low as compared to other areas in Florida. According to Quaintance, “The 33904 and 33914 zip codes, which cover Cape Coral south of Veterans Memorial Parkway, are the most densely populated zip codes in the city”. Based on the website city-data.com, the south Cape area is also home to the city’s wealthiest people. There are households with the median incomes of $88,000, which is more than twice the city’s average.

When it comes to commercial rental space, Gary Tasman, executive director of Cushman & Wakefield Commercial Property Southwest Florida said that the commercial rent in south Cape Coral is approximately 15 percent lower than other comparable parts of Lee County, which includes College Parkway located just over the bridge. Business owners and investors can find monthly lease rates for as low as $2 to $10 per square foot in Cape Coral.

A resident in Cape Coral has one looming problem in his home.  The concern that renter is facing is a looming tree that is threatening to fall on his rented home in the city.

Mr. Robert Doerr is mulling over the problem that a branch is hanging precariously on top of his home.  This might fall and cause damage to his home or to other property.  He has also contacted the city’s Code Enforcement is unable to provide him with better news.

When he called the Code Enforcement of the city, he was advised that the local government agency could not take any steps forward unless it has caused any damages or is already on the ground. He is basically concerned with the safety of other people living in the area and no damage.

Since the tree is located in a private property, it would be to Mr. Doerr or his next door neighbor, who would have to take the initiative of cutting down the hanging branch of the tree. Mr. Doerr did exactly just that and contacted the person living in the adjacent home.

He advised the homeowner to have the branches of the tree cut avoid further damages.  However the individual is not interested in taking the initiative of cutting down the tree as.  The neighbor cited that this was not his responsibility.  Mr. Doerr’s neighbor feels that this no longer his problem but the city’s as he (the neighbor) does not want to incur any removal fees.

This case was brought to the attention of a legal expert to review whose responsibility it would be to have the branches or the tree cut.  Based on one lawyer’s advice, it would have to be Mr. Doerr who would have to take the initiative.   Mr. Doerr can cut a portion of the branch so that this would not affect his use of the property.

Yet, Mr. Doerr does not want to take matter into his own hands.  The tenant is fearful that if he has the branches cut, this would bring the whole tree down.  The branches appear to be the only thing that is holding the tree up.  If the whole tree falls down, this might bring further damages not just to his rented home but might also cause injuries to passersby.

For now, it has now become a waiting game for both Mr. Doerr and his neighbor if the tree will ever be cut.