Riczo Funeral Homes

Published 10:00 AM EDT Jul 19, 2017 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. They'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...