Almost $40M in flood relief coming to historic Naples neighborhood

NAPLES, Fla. (WINK) — Nearly $40 million is headed to a historic Naples neighborhood that has struggled with flooding for years.

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The money is going to the River Park East community, and residents say the funding is long overdue. Neighbors have been fighting for this money for years.

For neighbors in River Park East, flooding isn't just something they worry about during a major storm or hurricane. Even daily heavy afternoon showers can quickly turn streets into standing water, sometimes leaving neighbors with water inside their homes.

"It gets really bad. It starts flooding. I'd say about three minutes max, and it gets to around your knee level pretty fast," one neighbor said. "We got lucky this last time out with the flood because we barely made it out with our car."

The drainage in River Park East just isn't cutting it, leaving streets and homes flooded. During Hurricane Ian, neighbors say the storm pushed about three feet of water into some of their homes.

Hurricane Milton brought another 18 inches of water to the neighborhood. The city's plan to help this community goes beyond just cleaning up after the next storm.

The project will replace the neighborhood's stormwater and wastewater infrastructure, add permanent pump stations, and raise roads to help move water out faster. James Whittaker, president of the River Park East HOA, is looking forward to these improvements.

"It's going to mean that we don't have to worry about worry as much about flooding as we did with Ian, there are supposed to be two pump houses that will be permanently placed in the community to help out with the flooding situation," Whittaker said. "So it's going to be, it should be a real positive thing."

The city hired consulting engineers to design the upgrades, handle permitting and prepare the project for bidding. The work is expected to start in 2027.