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Town to survey canals but full dredging depends on permitting and funding, committee told
Summary
Anchorage Advisory Committee heard the town will fund surveying and permitting for dredging town canals but that major dredging projects are years away and contingent on permits, submerged‑land leases, and additional funding.
Fort Myers Beach — The town has set aside funds to begin surveying and permitting for a proposed canal and channel dredging program, but actual dredging work remains contingent on permitting, submerged land leases and outside funding, staff told the Anchorage Advisory Committee on Sept. 22.
Curtis, a town staff member, told the committee that the town plans to hire an engineer to survey canals and produce permitting documents to identify which canals need dredging and how much material would be removed. "That is going to be the starting point," Curtis said, noting that funding for the construction phase is still being sought and that the permitting process will be “extensive.”
Why it matters: the committee noted the island’s network of canals is used for neighborhood access and local navigation; dredging affects boat access, property owners, submerged‑land leasing, and potentially homeowners associations if private canals are involved.
Discussion highlights
- Scope: Curtis said the effort will examine "every canal on the island" and that the count was roughly in the 40‑canal range, though he offered to confirm an exact number. He explained that the town’s canals often branch and that some canal beds are owned or managed by homeowners associations.
- Funding and timeline: staff said the town currently has money allocated for surveying and permitting only; full project construction is years away and will require permits, submerged‑land leases and additional funding sources.
- HOA involvement: committee members raised the possibility that condos and homeowners associations that benefit from private canals could be asked to participate financially, but Curtis noted that any HOA involvement would require HOA board approval and that private property processes add complexity.
No formal decisions
The committee did not approve a project or a funding appropriation at the meeting. Curtis said the town is “still seeking options” for construction funding and expects permitting to take about a year.
Quotations and attributions
Curtis said: “We are going to have an engineer come out, survey the canals, and kinda really get down to the bottom of which ones needed, which ones don't, how much we're looking at looking to dredge out of each canal.”
Curtis on the timeline and permits: “But the permitting process is gonna be extensive.”
Ending
Staff described the canal dredging work as beginning with engineering and permitting; the committee asked staff to return with more exact canal counts and schedules as the planning process proceeds.
