Resident shares thoughts on North Port's latest effort to protect tortoises

Bright yellow gopher tortoise signs are hard to miss in North Port.

"I would say they are all over," said North Port Environmental Specialist Aaron Zimmermann. "We get plenty out east, and some right here in the middle of town."

However, it's not a coincidence.

City staff told North Port Community Correspondent Victoria Scott that her initial story on these signs caught the attention of many concerned residents in the community.

"We have had people who have seen the story and reach out to us directly from that previous conversation," Zimmermann said.

North Port resident Melinda Rutherford is one example.

"I saw [your] article, and I was like, 'Here's my moment to try to get somebody out here to help me with this because I was stressing myself out," Rutherford told Scott.

She said she was worried about construction workers being too close to a burrow near her house.

"Just recently they had started driving through the field over here pretty close to her mound, and I had run out and stopped them, saying, 'Please don't drive through there," Rutherford said. "Like, what are you doing? You're going to hurt her."

Rutherford said she exhausted all of her options.

She even went to law enforcement.

However, she told Scott her story gave her hope.

"If we're going to have them as a protected animal, let's do it," Rutherford said. "Let's get these signs everywhere that we can."

It's all about spreading wildlife visibility and making a difference with one sign at a time.

"They have had an amazing impact," Rutherford said. "I have not had to one time come out and say anything about moving away from here."