Local wash notes
Pressure washing planning for Fort Myers
Fort Myers sits across the Caloosahatchee from Cape Coral and runs its own stormwater program, so a contractor crossing the bridge works under a different city’s rules.
Fort Myers names wash-water problems directly
The City of Fort Myers Public Works FAQ (retrieved September 27, 2026) defines an illicit discharge as dumping any pollutant into a storm drain or stormwater system and says such discharges are prohibited under its MS4 permit. Its list of pollutant examples includes oil, toxics, household hazardous waste, grease, trash, solvents and pet waste, and it asks residents to report dumping to Public Works.
The City’s stormwater page explains that rooftops and paved areas shed runoff fast, picking up fertilizer, oils, grease, lead, iron and other pollutants, and that unmanaged runoff harms Billy’s Creek and the Caloosahatchee River. Grease from a restaurant pad or oil from a driveway is exactly what that page describes.
River history
The National Hurricane Center’s Ian report records 5 to 8 feet of inundation up the Caloosahatchee in Fort Myers, with the tide gauge near downtown reaching 7.26 feet above mean higher high water as surge reversed the river’s flow. If a building took on water then, ask the contractor to test a small area before cleaning older or repaired surfaces.
Paperwork on the other side of the bridge
The Lee County Tax Collector says a business based inside a city, or doing business within one, may also need a municipal business tax account or zoning approval, and that all county receipts expire on September 30. A Cape Coral contractor working in Fort Myers should be able to show what applies there.
Lee County’s irrigation rules send Fort Myers residents to local law enforcement or code enforcement for watering violations, a small sign that city and county rules run side by side here.