CAPE CORAL
A home in Cape Coral destroyed in the hurricane has been taken over by rats, and neighbors say they have had enough.
Neighbors are disgusted and worried about the rat’s impact on their health and homes.
Scurrying out of the trees, covering every branch and in every crevice, rats are the problem for people on Malibu Court in Cape Coral.
Rat in a tree at a Cape Coral home. (Credit: Shared with WINK News)
“I think there’s hundreds over there,” said Gary Anderson. “I lost count after 50. I’ve never seen anything like this.”
When Anderson realized what he was seeing, he froze in his tracks. “It just wasn’t a few rats. It’s an infestation.”
Anderson says it’s obvious his neighbor’s got a rat problem, so he and his neighbors do too.
“I would never have thought I would see something that bad in my lifetime,” Anderson said.
He said the rats began building their kingdom after Hurricane Ian hit the home hard.
“This is on a canal and, but the property is not kept up, the grass is not trimmed, the bushes aren’t trimmed, the house is falling down. There’s big holes in the roof because of the hurricane,” said Anderson.
Since then, it’s been rat after rat after rat. Anderson said he and his neighbors had called the city of Cape Coral, code enforcement, and the police, but to no avail.
They called WINK News because they didn’t know what else to do.
“Why isn’t something being done? You know?” said Anderson.
All they want is for the rodents to be gone.
“If this doesn’t get solved, and in my mind, solved very soon, some action needs to be taken. These rats will find their way into other homes and in the yards, and now you have disease that that’s growing in it’s a real health concern that you have to be aware of.”
WINK News contacted the city and Cape Coral police about the rat problem. Police said it is code enforcement’s job, which falls under the city. The city said it’s looking into it.
WINK NEWS