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Hotel operator seeks city help after trash washes from nearby FDOT runoff into lake
Summary
A Courtyard by Marriott representative told commissioners debris from runoff between a Chase Bank and the hotel is entering the lake in front of the property; city staff said the drainage is part of the Florida Department of Transportation's network and they will continue coordination with the state and natural-resources teams.
Desiree Howell, representing the Courtyard by Marriott at 6625 Cypress Gardens Boulevard, urged the Winter Haven City Commission to help stop trash that she said regularly washes from a runoff channel between a Chase Bank and the hotel into the lake in front of the property.
"I've dug out chairs, air mattresses out of the lake," Howell said, describing repeated debris and saying the situation is "not very appealing" for hotel guests. She asked for city assistance and clarification about whether maintenance responsibility rests with the county, city or state. "Our owner is actually about to build another hotel right next to ours... he's about to build another hotel in the community," she said, urging a resolution.
The city manager responded that the roadway at Cypress Gardens Boulevard is part of the Florida Department of Transportation network. "That's an FDOT. Cypress Gardens Boulevard through that area is an FDOT, so that's a state road. And that drainage system is part of the state's drainage network," the city manager said, adding the city has worked with FDOT over the years and will continue to press the agency to keep the area clean. The manager also said city natural-resources staff have assisted with debris removal in the past and staff would pass the reporter's concerns to that team.
Why it matters: debris entering public waterbodies presents aesthetic and ecological concerns and can affect local businesses that front the lake; responsibility for maintenance affects which agency must take corrective action.
Next steps: city staff said they will continue coordination with FDOT and involve the natural-resources team to address debris removal and discuss longer-term solutions; no formal binding action was recorded.
