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Residents press Lee County to pause planned removal of vegetation on 10 Mile Canal barrier island
Summary
Lee County staff told commissioners Oct. 21 they plan to remove vegetation, including mangroves, from a narrow barrier island and other parts of the 10 Mile Canal to increase drainage capacity after past storms.
Lee County Natural Resources staff presented a plan Oct. 21 to remove vegetation — including mangroves — from a narrow barrier island and stretches of the 10 Mile Canal as part of a flood mitigation program. The proposal grew out of the county’s post‑storm 10 Mile Canal study and subsequent recommendations to increase channel capacity.
Roland Adolini, Natural Resources, described the scope as removing vegetation along roughly 0.8 miles of bank and a remnant strip in a narrow section of the canal. He said the work responds to constraints identified in a February engineering report and that staff obtained an exemption from the South Florida Water Management District for vegetation removal. Adolini said the aim is to increase channel capacity and lower water levels during heavy rainfall events.
Multiple residents and environmental advocates urged the board to halt or scale back the work, arguing the island provides storm‑surge attenuation, habitat for manatees and birds, and shoreline stability. Speakers cited county and academic materials they said show dredging and vegetation removal have little effect on storm surge and warned that removing established mangroves could increase erosion and damage during hurricanes. Comments included specific appeals to pause removal until federal and state environmental reviews are completed.
Commissioners debated alternatives: trimming and limited removal, pursuing channel cuts at other points in the system, or full removal as engineering recommended. Commissioner conversation noted: trimming may require repeated maintenance if vegetation regrows; full removal would be more permanent but is more intrusive; and some commissioners said they had expected only trimming and removal of exotics rather than wholesale clearing of the purple zone shown on staff maps.
No board motion to change the scope passed. A commissioner proposed limiting work to the red (trim) areas and postponing removal of the purple zone to allow time for more study and public input, but the proposal lacked a second. Staff and multiple commissioners said the item will return for further permitting steps and that the county plans additional monitoring and permitting actions before more invasive measures proceed.
The item drew an extended public comment period including homeowners who said they had not received notice of the proposed work and who asked the board to pause removal until studies on storm‑surge impacts, wildlife habitat (including manatee use), and permitting are completed. Several speakers asked the county to consider alternatives such as selective trimming or dredging in upstream bottlenecks to increase capacity without clearing mature mangroves.
Staff said the project links back to the county’s 2017 storms, the county’s 10 Mile Canal master plan, and a Johnson Engineering design that recommended removal of certain obstructions to restore flow. Adolini said the county will continue permitting work and that a later phase would return with additional technical detail. No permits from Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) were cited during the Oct. 21 discussion; staff reported an exemption from the South Florida Water Management District and said final permitting steps were in process.
The board did not authorize full removal of the purple zone on Oct. 21 and left the matter open for follow‑up, additional analysis and public outreach.
