Island Park residents say more needs to be done to prevent Ten Mile Canal flooding

Five years ago, people living in Island Park in south Fort Myers had to deal with flooding after days of rainfall. Some areas logged about 30 feet of rain before Hurricane Irma hit, making things worse.

Fast forward to 2022, the county has dredged part of Ten Mile Canal to help alleviate any future flooding, but neighbors don’t think that’s enough to prevent another flooding disaster.

Records also show that the canal was never finished back in the 1970s. Plans were made to deepen and widen the canal, but crews ended up hitting rock and just stopped the work.

Now, 40-50 years later, people who live nearby fear that with the water this high, they’re one hard rain away from more flooding.