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The mid-Atlantic states may have the Frankenfish, but Collier County has been battling an invasive predator of its own for the past few years — of the plant variety.

Water hyacinths, which have been a threat to Florida’s waterways since the 1800s, have made their way into the canals of the neighborhood which abuts Port-au-Prince Boulevard in East Naples.

"A long time ago these waterways were open. We had tides and a lot of fish," said Deborah Selman, 47, who grew up in the Port-au-Prince neighborhood and moved back with her family more than a year ago. "This stuff here (the water hyacinths) eats up all the oxygen and kills the fish. This is an invasive species."

After rigging a wooden pole with a hook, using an actual fishing pole to reel ashore the floating plant beds and fending off the hoards of mosquitoes that have invaded their neighborhood as a result of the rapidly growing species stagnating the water, residents have had enough.

Hoping to get a hand from county leaders, a group of Port-au-Prince residents is slated to go before the Collier County Commission Tuesday to plead their case.

The water hyacinth is a floating, flowering perennial that is found in more than 50 countries.

Although beautiful to the eye and touted as a must have for koi pond enthusiasts because of its lavender flowers, environmentalists consider the water hyacinth an enemy to Florida’s waterways.

Believed to have been introduced into the United States in 1884 at a New Orleans exposition, the water hyacinth had clogged the St. Johns River in Northern Florida soon after its arrival.

By 1960, it covered more than 120,000 acres of public lakes and rivers.

The plant’s growth rate is among the highest of any known plant in Florida.

"They can double in weight in as little as two weeks," said Matt Phillips, a biological scientist with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Invasive Plant Management.

The state’s exotic plant management program lists the water hyacinth as one of Florida waterways’ main problems, Phillips added.

Because of its aggressive growth rate, water hyacinth are prohibited from being transplanted from one waterway to another. Possession and selling of water hyacinth is illegal in Florida without a special permit.

But in spite of the many laws aimed at stopping the water hyacinth trade, there have been reported cases of individuals selling them at auction sites like eBay.

"That’s probably the biggest problem we have," said Phillips. "Getting sellers online."

The hyacinth’s quick spread also affects native vegetation, because the plant’s dense mats restrict boating areas, recreation, flood control and wildlife use.

It also provides an ideal breeding environments for mosquitoes, which Port-au-Prince residents are very well acquainted with.

"The mosquitoes are terrible," said Eva Sampson, 27, who now avoids taking her 4-month old daughter Olivia outside to spare her from bites.

For years there has been a back-and-forth between residents and county officials, as to who is responsible for maintaining the canals.

According to Eugene Calvert, the county’s director of stormwater management, Collier’s hands have been tied when it comes to the water hyacinths in Port-au-Prince because the private canals were never turned over to the county.

"There’s not much we could have done to help them," said Calvert.

In Collier, only public waterways are maintained by the county. Private canals fall under the jurisdiction of the property owner and don’t qualify for county upkeep.

County transportation spokeswoman Connie Deane said although there is no specific spraying schedule, that the county inspects the canals once a months.

"If there is a need to spray, they do," Deane said. "They don’t want to put chemicals in the system if they don’t have to."

However, there were still two options that residents had yet to explore.

"Anybody can bring up an item before the board and ask for the board’s consideration," said Calvert, referring to a citizen’s right to public petition. "Another process by which they can get control or have improvements is creating an MSTU."

A Municipal Service Taxing Unit, or MSTU, would cover the canal’s maintenance.

Residents are hoping the public petition will do the trick.

"About two months ago water could still go through the canals, then boom," said Selman. "The fish are going to die quicker than we can get these things out of here. They (the hyacinths) need to be sprayed."

However, this isn’t the first time that residents have turned to the county for help with the water hyacinth trouble.

"I’ve got pictures that date back four to five years," said Norman Tester, 72, who laughingly calls himself the mayor of Port-au-Prince. "I’ve got pictures of the hyacinths when they (the county) sprayed them. Fiala got her head chopped off."

At the time, Commissioner Donna Fiala intervened on behalf of Port-au-Prince residents to get the area sprayed. Fiala said she still feels the county did the right thing.

"I took some heat last time, because it’s a neighborhood that really needs help," said Fiala, adding that she was glad that residents took the initiative this time and asked for a public petition. "I think that they should try everything and anything that they can to see if it works."