Florida Hurricane Victims Cheer NRCS-funded Debris Removal Project

Nicholas Lucas, bottom, holds a boat steady as Sedastian Mateo operates a tractor to pull debris from a canal adjacent to Phlox Drive in San Carlos Park on Wednesday. The debris, which was caused by last year's hurricanes, is clogging up the canals in the East Mullock Drainage District.  Image by Todd Stubing, News-Press.

The buzz of chain saws was music to the ears of residents along Phlox Drive in San Carlos Park.

That noise meant that debris left behind from Hurricane Charley is being removed from 18 miles of canals in the East Mullock Drainage District, thanks to a federal grant.

Tillie Feinberg, 40, watched five men fill two small boats with fallen Brazilian Pepper and melaleuca branches from the canal behind her home. A few rode in the boats, while the others waded in waist-high water — also home to a large alligator, Feinberg warned.

The men didn't seem to mind, continuing their chore in the heat of the afternoon. They are part of a eight-man crew, supervised by Randy Tucker of Alva.

Lee County hired Tucker's company to complete the San Carlos job after receiving more than $3 million from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resources Conservation Service for hurricane debris removal.

About $150,000 was earmarked for the San Carlos Park canals. County commissioners voted on Tuesday to extend the deadline from early May to Sept. 2 because only a small portion has been finished.

"It's pretty tedious work," Tucker said.

Tucker's crew is now working in the canals along Phlox from New Jersey to Captiva roads, some of which had been completely dammed up, creating flooding hazards for the coming rainy season.

He said they're trying to avoid going through residents' property to reach the canals, but that may be necessary at some points.

"If they could please understand that we're in there to help," Tucker said, noting debris removal will help to keep snakes and alligators out of people's yards as well as increase water flow to reduce mosquitoes.

NRCS Inspector Tom Walsh said residents have been happy to see Tucker's crew.

"You'd be surprised how many people are stopping and praising him," Walsh said.

Ralph Petty, 58, has lived on Phlox for 15 years.

He said he was happy to see the crew remove two giant trees that were damaged behind his home.

"They're taking it all out. It looks very good," he said. "They should do it once every three or four years."

Feinberg, who has lived on Phlox for 11 years, said this is the first time she has seen any vegetation cut from the canal.

The East Mullock Drainage District, whose job it is to maintain the canals, has an annual budget of less than $70,000. About $15,000 of that money goes toward mandatory non-maintenance expenses such as the auditor, insurance and tax bills. Assessments have increased only once in the past 40 years.

"We've got about $55,000 to spend, and $36,000 goes to aquatic weed control," said Drainage District Chairman Alan Freeman. "That doesn't leave a lot of money to clean the canals.

"It costs $8,000 to $12,000 per mile, so we've got enough to do a mile a year. We typically do smaller jobs. It's not a situation where you can catch up, although this cleanup will help."

Tucker agreed.

"It's essential to keep it clean to keep the water from backing up," he said. "If they don't maintain these now, it's going to affect the neighborhood for years to come."

An additional bonus is that Tucker is having his crew remove man-made items that were tossed in the canals while clearing the fallen trees.

They've found everything from motorcycles and lawnmowers to footballs and flowerpots, all of which could block the flow of water, Walsh said.

"I'm not going to have these guys down in the water cutting up limbs, pass by garbage and not get it out," Tucker said. "We're not being nit-picky. We want it to look clean."

Story by Denise L. Scott and image by Todd Stubing, News-Press