Gallaher American Family Funeral Home

Published 7:30 a.m. ET July 19, 2017 Updated 10:00 a.m. ET July 19, 2017Buy PhotoFort Myers residents are fighting the planned rezoning of a mortuary business, pictured, in the Dunbar community of Fort Myers. The proposed site is located at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Raleigh Street across from the Fort Myers Cemetery.(Photo: Kinfay Moroti/news-press.com)Buy PhotoStory HighlightsCommunity meeting Thurs. 5 p.m. at Gallaher Funeral Home, 2701 Cleveland Ave.Rezoning hearing Aug. 2 at 1 p.m. at City Hall, 2200 Second St.Fort Myers residents are fighting the planned rezoning of a mortuary business in their neighborhood, claiming it is a nuisance and health hazard.Gallaher American Family Funeral Home has services and viewings on Cleveland Avenue and embalms bodies in Dunbar.The former owner let the business license for the embalming facility lapse years ago. The new owner, James Riczo, continued to operate until April 2016 when the city issued a notice of violation for the property. Now Riczo wants approval to fix up the building and make the embalming business permanent. But residents of the predominantly African-American neighborhood adjacent to the business oppose his application for rezoning.“Would you want someone doing embalming right by your house?”Oscar Walker, neighbor of the mortuaryThey've complained about toxic waste, putrid garbage and children getting sick from the smells coming from the building as they wait at a nearby school bus stop. And although Michael Titmuss, the chief of the city's code enforcement, has received at least a dozen such complaints, he said he's found no evidence to back them up.“I think it’s all fearmongering. From our perspective it's a relatively minor (code) complaint. There are no life, health or safety violations,” Titmuss said. He said the building needs to be cleaned and painted and the parking lot striped. Titmuss said he understands the neighbors not wanting the facility, however. "I don't blame them at all,... (The News-Press)

Published 7:30 a.m. ET July 19, 2017 Updated 10:00 a.m. ET July 19, 2017Buy PhotoFort Myers residents are fighting the planned rezoning of a mortuary business, pictured, in the Dunbar community of Fort Myers. The proposed site is located at the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Raleigh Street across from the Fort Myers Cemetery.(Photo: Kinfay Moroti/news-press.com)Buy PhotoStory HighlightsCommunity meeting Thurs. 5 p.m. at Gallaher Funeral Home, 2701 Cleveland Ave.Rezoning hearing Aug. 2 at 1 p.m. at City Hall, 2200 Second St.Fort Myers residents are fighting the planned rezoning of a mortuary business in their neighborhood, claiming it is a nuisance and health hazard.Gallaher American Family Funeral Home has services and viewings on Cleveland Avenue and embalms bodies in Dunbar.The former owner let the business license for the embalming facility lapse years ago. The new owner, James Riczo, continued to operate until April 2016 when the city issued a notice of violation for the property. Now Riczo wants approval to fix up the building and make the embalming business permanent. But residents of the predominantly African-American neighborhood adjacent to the business oppose his application for rezoning.“Would you want someone doing embalming right by your house?”Oscar Walker, neighbor of the mortuaryThey've complained about toxic waste, putrid garbage and children getting sick from the smells coming from the building as they wait at a nearby school bus stop. And although Michael Titmuss, the chief of the city's code enforcement, has received at least a dozen such complaints, he said he's found no evidence to back them up.“I think it’s all fearmongering. From our perspective it's a relatively minor (code) complaint. There are no life, health or safety violations,” Titmuss said. He said the building needs to be cleaned and painted and the parking lot striped. Titmuss said he understands the neighbors not wanting the facility, however. "I don't blame them at all,... (The News-Press)