"FIX IT": Fox 4 takes Lehigh pothole frustrations to commissioner

Lehigh Acres drivers say they're sick of potholes falling through the cracks and not getting fixed quickly enough.

Motorcyclist Natasha Lariche says it's an issue she deals with everyday.

Ella Rhoades

Lariche recently moved to a different part of Lehigh and when she drove on her street for the first time, she was in for a surprise.

"We didn't see it until we were right up on it, and I stuck my front tire in it. Thankfully, I was again going slow speeds, so I was able to save it but that was my first impression of my lovely neighborhood," Lariche says.

Her tire fell into a pothole on Grant Avenue and 11th Street. She says she requested that Lee County fix it.

She says, "I feel like my problems are falling on deaf ears."

While potholes are dangerous for any driver Lariche says there's more risk on two tires than four.

"I base my routes around potholes," Lariche says.

She knows at least ten potholes in Lehigh off the top of her head and wants to see action.

"Fix it. Fix it. Replace it," she says.

Fox 4's Lehigh Acres Community Correspondent Ella Rhoades took Lariche's concerns to Lee County Commissioner Mike Greenwell, who represents Lehigh Acres.

Grenwell says he knows it's an emergency safety issue for people.

"Whenever you have a pothole you have a safety issue. Nevertheless you get damage, people start to go around them, getting in the wrong lanes, running off the road, motorcycles. It's a safety issue that...needs to be addressed right away," Greenwell says.

He says Lee DOT has one patch crew dedicated to Lehigh, but on July 22, drivers will see another crew in Lehigh.

Greenwell says it's $99,000 in taxpayer money, that's well spent.

"It's such a large area and so spread out we want to make sure that we are getting caught up out there."

Greenwell say his best advice is for people who want a pothole repaired, "Please report them. It's the only way we can get out here and fix them."

Report a pothole in Lee County here.

"I want it to be safe for everybody," Lariche says.

Hopefully, in the next few months Lariche won't need to reroute her trips around potholes.

For those who have property damages from potholes, you can file a complaint with Lee County Risk Management here.