 Though Disston 's canals did not drain , his purchase <unk> the economy of Florida . It made news and attracted tourists and land <unk> alike . Within four years property values doubled , and the population increased significantly . One newcomer was the inventor Thomas Edison , who bought a home in Fort Myers . Disston opened real estate offices throughout the United States and Europe , and sold tracts of land for $ 5 an acre , establishing towns on the west coast and in central Florida . English tourists in particular were targeted and responded in large numbers . Florida passed its first water laws to " build drains , ditches , or water courses upon petition of two or more landowners " in 1893 . 
