NAPLES, Fla. — Heavy rainfall this week has left some streets in Naples Park severely flooded and residents say it's getting worse. Members of the homeowners association are waiting for the county to fix the problem.
"It has accumulated a lot before, but this I think is the worst I've seen so far," said Mildred Lucanegro, a member of the Board of Directors for the Naples Park Homeowners Association.
Flooded driveways, mailboxes underwater, and ducks swimming out front — is what people who live on 104th Avenue North saw after a weekend of heavy rain.
"Half of my front lawn here was a lake, we had some ducks swimming in the lake," said local resident Jeff Bennett.
Bennett has been in the neighborhood for more than three years and says that for just two inches of rainfall, this is some of the worst flooding he has seen. He believes the county is aware of the problem.
"Well, I think they're aware that the drainage is outdated. The houses were built in the '70s, and that's when the drainage was put in," Bennett said. "And so they're systematically going through the streets and replacing the drains and upgrading the infrastructure," he added.
Driving through the neighborhood, some streets are completely dry, while others are under construction. Lucanegro said the county has been working on upgrades to the entire neighborhood. While it's helped her street, she believes 104th Avenue North needs immediate work.
"The association was flooded almost halfway up the driveway, just about halfway up the driveway and across. And when I came later on in the evening, I didn't even want to ride through it," Lucanegro said.
Collier County did not immediately respond to a request for a timeline of their construction plans in Naples Park. However, Lucanegro remains hopeful they will see progress soon.
"That's what we need here," she said.
