CAPE CORAL, Fla. — What’s the hottest job in SWFL? No, not the most likable. Not even the best paying, but physically the hottest? NBC2 went to a few places to find out.
Our first stop was at U.S. 41 Tire & Auto Repair, where we saw Romulo Cintra doing a suspension check and changing a rear tire.
“This is the worst part of the day. It’s 3:00 pm, and you’re out in the sun on the pavement, and you can fry an egg on the concrete,” said Cintra.
Cintra, however, said he and his group of workers are blessed with an ounce of shade every once in a while.
“We can come in this shop, and there’s shade; we even have fans running and an air-conditioned office,” said Cintra as he took us through the shop.
For the construction team at Cole Brother’s Construction in Cape Coral they have nowhere to hide when the work starts.
“You’re out in the middle of the sun. There’s no trees, there’s no shop or garage, there’s just you and the pavement,” said owner Dave Cole.
Cole and his son Jake do a lot of their work together, and today they took us on a call to expand a driveway in SE Cape Coral.
We pointed a laser thermometer on the pavement Dave and Jake were working on. At 3:00 pm, it read anywhere between 142-149 degrees, depending on where you pointed. The heat means less work that construction crews can do.
“On a regular like winter months day, I would feel comfortable saying we could knock out 3 to 4 of these jobs this size, but right now, the summer is brutal. I won’t put my health, my son’s health, or any of my guy’s health before that,” said Cole.
We also noticed today that crews repairing and painting some of the streets on U.S. 41 had canopies for the crews to sit under. The team couldn’t go on camera but tells NBC2 something about this year just feels warmer than usual.
Cole agrees.
“I think each summer until it hits, you just don’t realize how bad it can be, and right now, we are in it,” said Cole.
The post Cape Coral workers enduring blazing conditions as summer sun bears down appeared first on NBC2 News.
