Reporter: Bella Line
•6/10/2026
MATLACHA ISLES, Fla. (WINK)—A Matlacha Isles man says he's invented a solution to help Southwest Florida homeowners avoid costly repairs after repeated flooding.
Ed Thompson has watched floodwater fill his rental home three times in 25 years. After dealing with the headache of tearing out walls and starting over each time, he developed a small piece of plastic he believes can solve a big problem.
"I came here 25 years ago to flip a house, and I'm still living in it, so that says a lot about what I like here in the water and living on a canal, but it has drawbacks when it floods," Thompson said.
Thompson explained the issue starts with how walls are built.
"When walls are built, the drywall goes down to the floor, so this is all covered, so it's a closed cavity, and it will retain water for days, weeks, or even months," he said.
That trapped water leads to mold and mildew, forcing homeowners to tear out and replace their walls after every flood.
"I thought something's got to be better," he said.
His invention, called Rock Bloks, is a piece of plastic that fits between the wall stud and the baseboard.
"There are channels that divert the water away, so nothing is going to be capable of holding any water inside," Thompson said. "As soon as the water's out of your house, it will be out of your walls also."
Thompson said homeowners would need about $1,000 to $1,500 worth of Rock Bloks for a typical home because they must be installed on each stud. However, he believes the upfront cost could save homeowners thousands of dollars by preventing mold damage.
"The mold and the mildew, once it gets in there, it's stuck," he said. "You hopefully won't have to tear your walls apart each flood."
Rock Bloks are currently patent pending. For more information on Rock Bloks, click here.
