Found an item? Your responsibilities

What to do when you find someone else's property — your responsibilities and how to return it safely.

Found something in Ft Myers / SW Florida? Handling it responsibly protects both you and the owner. Rules vary by location, but the principles are consistent.

Make a reasonable effort to find the owner. Check for ID, contact details, or anything that identifies who it belongs to.
Don't assume it's yours to keep. Keeping found property without trying to return it can have legal consequences. When in doubt, hand it in.
Hand valuables to the authorities. Report significant or high-value finds to the police non-emergency line for Ft Myers / SW Florida; they'll log it and may issue a reference.
Store it safely. Keep the item secure and unchanged while you try to return it.
Post a found listing. Add a found-item listing for Ft Myers / SW Florida with enough detail for the real owner to identify it — while holding back one verifying detail.

Helpful resources for Ft Myers / SW Florida

Nextdoor
Reach neighbors to return a found item

Recent reports in Ft Myers / SW Florida

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Found: Sheet music near Centennial Park.

I found these sheet music pieces outside Centennial Park by the Caloosahatchee River around 6:15 p.m. on Saturday while I was looping through the River District after a quick snack run. The pages were fluttering against a bench, some with bright colored covers and a few with scuffed corners. It looked like someone had been practicing recently, and the binder caught my eye with a single name scribbled in pencil on the first page. I tucked everything into my tote and kept the memory safe, hoping the owner would see this post somewhere on the site and claim them. Music has a way of traveling, and I’d love to help it find its way home.

Centennial Park, by the Caloosahatchee River 24 days ago

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Found Yamaha acoustic guitar with red strap at Tower Shops

I found this Yamaha acoustic guitar, a string instrument, this afternoon around 3:15 PM in the Tower Shops parking lot near the Barnes & Noble entrance in Fort Myers. The guitar has a natural wood finish with a glossy top and a bright red strap still attached to the neck. There are a couple of tiny dents on the back and a sticker inside the soundhole that reads Summer Recital 2016 — it's a distinctive clue if someone recognizes it. It seems well cared for and the action feels comfortable when I strum a few notes. If it's yours, shoot me an email and we can arrange a safe pickup near Tower Shops.

Ft Myers / SW Florida about 2 months ago

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Found red Santa hat with white trim

I found a red Santa hat with white faux-fur trim and a tiny silver bell this afternoon around 4:15 PM, near the Edison Mall parking lot behind the food court in Fort Myers. It’s an adult-size hat, bright red, with two small snowflake pins stitched on the brim and a bit of glitter along the trim. The hat is in decent shape—no holes, just a light sunscreen smear from today’s Florida sun. It feels sentimental, like someone wearing it for a holiday photo here in SW Florida might be missing it badly. If this hat is yours, I’m hoping to help reunite you with it.

Ft Myers / SW Florida 4 months ago

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Navy North Face jacket found near Edison Mall

I found a navy blue North Face jacket this afternoon around 3:15pm in the parking lot behind the Edison Mall on S. Tamiami Trail, Fort Myers. It’s a men’s medium, waterproof windbreaker with an orange zipper pull and a small sea turtle patch on the left sleeve. There’s a light coffee stain on the inside hem and a few faint scuffs on the cuffs from the rain. I figured someone might be worried about it—outerwear like this can be pricey or sentimental. If you lost something similar, shoot me a message here and we can arrange a pickup so you can get it back.

Ft Myers / SW Florida 4 months ago

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Pink concert ticket stub with seat A12

I found a pink concert ticket stub this afternoon around 3:15 pm on the sidewalk outside the Target at Gulf Coast Town Center in Fort Myers. It's for a show called Sunset Rhythm Live, with the seat info printed as Section G, Row 3, Seat A12, and the barcode is intact. The ticket is glossy pink with a perforated edge, and there's a small red sticker near the bottom corner—pretty distinctive. If this belongs to you, I can drop it at the Gulf Coast Town Center Lost & Found or meet you at the Target customer service desk.

Ft Myers / SW Florida 5 months ago

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Blue leather U.S. passport found near Bell Tower Shops

Found this afternoon around 4:15pm on the sidewalk near the main entrance to Bell Tower Shops on College Parkway, Fort Myers. It’s a U.S. passport in a blue leather cover, with a small white sticker on the back that reads 'Florida Keys Trip.' The cover is a little scuffed at the corner and there's a faint fingerprint on the photo page. I know passports are urgent, so I'm hoping to reunite it with its owner soon. If this is yours, share the name on the passport and the last trip you took; I can verify and arrange pickup at the Bell Tower security desk.

Ft Myers / SW Florida 5 months ago