FORT MYERS, Fla. — Fort Myers City leaders say there is not enough evidence to stop construction of a new apartment complex on a piece of land downtown.
We’ve been following this story for weeks after concerns came up that a plot of land may have once been a Native American burial site.
Council members are saying their hands are tied at this point. And, for now, construction of that new apartment complex continues.
At yesterday’s council meeting, council member Johnny Streets said there is just not enough evidence that this site is historical. A city spokesperson tells Fox 4 at this point, nothing has been presented or brought forward pointing toward historical significance from the site.
What has stood at the site before was the historic First United Methodist Church, built in the 1880s as well as a funeral home.
The attorney for the developer of the site — Zimmer Development — says the company has done its due diligence and if there was a monument on the west side of the street they were not aware.
The attorney was asked by Mayor Kevin Anderson what their obligation would be if the developer were to unearth something…
“They stop immediately, contact the state of Florida, they connect with the chief archaeologists of the state and examine what’s there.”
Zimmer conducted an archaeological study and a city spokesperson says they have requested the report but they have yet to receive it.
We have also reached out to Zimmer Development and have not heard back.
