Lee County Commissioners award contracts for flood-mitigation projects

08/17/2021

Fort Myers, FL, Aug. 3, 2021 – The Lee Board of County Commissioners on Tuesday awarded two contracts for projects to mitigate stormwater flooding in the San Carlos Park area.

San Carlos Park was particularly hard hit by flooding in 2017 when heavy rains in August were followed by Hurricane Irma in September. In June 2020, the Board accepted a $7.1 million Community Development Block Grant from the state for repairs to the sidewalks and drainage infrastructure. The work is being coordinated by Lee County Natural Resources and the Lee County Department of Transportation.

Contracts were awarded to:

  • Mohawk Valley Materials, Inc. for canal cleaning services and drainage restoration at various locations throughout the San Carlos Park area, including restoring more than 9 miles of drainage canals.
  • BC Underground LLC for swale re-establishment, drainage pipe cleaning, concrete culvert replacement, sod installation and minor sidewalk repairs at various locations throughout the San Carlos Park area. The work includes restoring 72,014 linear feet of roadside drainage ditches and cleaning 1,450 pipes under driveways in road rights-of-way.

The work will directly benefit 2,016 residences in the area and will ultimately improve stormwater drainage through the East Mulloch watershed to benefit the entire community.

These projects are part of a broader flood mitigation effort county commissioners and county staff have undertaken since the rainy season of 2017. The effort has also included:

  • Using staff expertise as well as outside vendors to immediately clear waterways, ditches swales, drainage canals and other infrastructure;
  • Documenting and studying flooded areas and further clearing obstructions – including meeting with private property owners and informing them of the impediments to water flow on their own property
  • Assembling a master list of proposed projects that could help mitigate flooding long-term and seeking grant opportunities to leverage state and federal funds to expedite projects.
  • Hosting multiple public meetings.

For more information about Lee County’s efforts, visit www.leegov.com/flooding.