ORLANDO, Fla. — Some residents in Stone Island are still recovering from Hurricane Ian. Dame to the area includes marked water lines from flooding on trees along Stone Island on Wednesday. One homeowner had contractors in her home on Wednesday. She said it was the last project to complete after Hurricane Ian.
On Monday, the city of Deltona moved forward with plans to mitigate flood risks, but residents continued to be worried.
“I want to know have we looked into if the city failed to proactively get ready for those storms,” said a man during public comment. “If we haven’t even touched that, that’s a problem. What I’d like to know is did we look at lake levels, have we studied lake levels, did we lower lake levels knowing there were storms coming?”
City leaders discussed a flood study and storm prevention efforts. Leaders said Ian and Nicole caused about 250 homes to be flooded, road closures and a quote “overwhelming unprecedented impact on stormwater infrastructure.”
Deltona Mayor Santiago Avila told Spectrum News on Wednesday that the city is applying for grants to help with flood mitigation efforts.
Just last week, Governor Ron De Santis vetoed $600,000 for a portion of the Theresa Basin study. The total cost for the city is now $1.5 million.
Avila said the Theresa Basin project is important because the study will reveal how to fix and rectify the flooding issue, including changing the elevations, so the city can manage the flow of water coming in.
“I understand that there’s a lot of speculation of what’s going to get done or not,” said Avila. “This is a different commission, there’s a different mayor, I’m not here to bash anyone from the past, things are going to get done, I don’t want to see any of my family, friends, neighbors, any of my residents underwater.”
A spokesperson for the city said the Theresa Basin project will be included in the 2023-2024 budget, which is being worked on right now.
“Once that study is approved, the study will take a year to year and a half to complete. That study will look at waterways within the basin to determine best strategies for future flood mitigation,” said a city spokesperson over email.
Mayor Avila was elected in November, following the major storms. Despite the veto, Avila said Deltona will get over $10 million in grants from the state soon.
Both city and state funds will cover roadway elevation projects in Catalina and Elkcam Boulevard. Both were underwater following last year’s hurricanes.
The city said they’re seeking out $70 million in grants overall on the Eastern and Fisher wastewater treatment facilities projects to address flooding concerns. The city said they’re in the process of working with Resilient Florida, which offers grants to tackle flooding projects, so they can prepare the grant application to seek funding in the next fiscal year.
Also happening in Deltona, Stone Island homeowners filed a class action lawsuit against the city of Deltona in April.
The federal lawsuit is alleging the city’s attempt at flood control after Hurricane Ian caused even more flooding in the waterfront peninsula community overlooking Lake Monroe.
The lawsuit claims residents are seeking to recover full compensation on those “whose property was used and damaged or destroyed when Deltona opened the Lake Bethel dam shortly after hurricane Ian,” under the Deltona dam program on or after October 1, 2022.
The lawsuit also adds that the amount of damage from flooding for each Stone Island homeowner exceeds $50,000.
In May, the city, in response, filed a motion to “respectfully” dismiss the complaint “for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”
On Wednesday, Avila said the city can’t comment on pending litigation.