Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Fort Myers Beach task force urges council to study funding options to dredge clogged canals
Summary
The Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force recommended the town council research options — including taxing districts and other finance mechanisms — after staff briefed members on the extent and cost of post-storm canal sedimentation that is blocking navigation and stormwater conveyance.
The Marine and Environmental Resources Task Force voted April 10 to recommend that the Town of Fort Myers Beach research and develop financing options to dredge canals clogged by storm and post-storm sediment.
The recommendation follows a staff presentation showing many of the town's 30 canals are shallow or filled, requiring an estimated 57,000 cubic yards of material removed to restore a maintenance depth of -5 mean low water in the most impacted canals. "If we wanted to get all the canals to negative 5 mean low water, around 57,000 cubic yards," Chad (town staff) said during the meeting, adding recent contractor estimates put dredging costs at about $70 to $100 per cubic yard.
The issue matters because the canals serve both navigation and stormwater conveyance. "The canals are part of the stormwater conveyance system," Chad…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
