SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — Seminole County was recently awarded a nearly $11 million grant for flood mitigation projects and one Midway community resident is hoping for a drier future.

Davion Hampton was born and raised in the historic Midway community, so he knows the area well. After serving time in prison, he started his own business as a contractor to help rebuild his diminishing hometown that was overtaken by empty lots and old infrastructure.

“This was my dream to come back home to my community and revitalize it,” Hampton said. “I was heartbroken to see homes that just needed to be redone, and once I got the vision, I put it to work.”

With more than a dozen homes under his belt, Hampton said he encounters many hurdles when meeting deadlines, including weather.

“Any time there’s moderate rain, slight rain, heavy rain — this is what happens to our community,” he said.

While the slightest rain can cause an issue, Hampton said the flooding from the 2022 hurricane season was by far the worst he’s ever seen.

“We’re in a bowl, you know. We just sit down in a bowl, and it’s not good for nobody,” he said.

According to Hampton, the city sits on a low line and has few places for the water to channel through when there is heavy rain in the community. He said the city ultimately cannot handle it.

“During the storm, this retention pond was over flooded, and water was pouring out of the retention over on to the road,” he said. “The retention pond couldn’t even handle the water that was coming out of the community.”

Because of the flooding issues in the area, Hampton said he builds his homes on elevated surfaces to help mitigate flooding. He is also an active member with the Midway Coalition, led by Executive Director Emory Green Jr.

The organization has been advocating for funding to work on several projects in the Midway community. According to a press release issued by the county, it received more than $10.7 million through the Resilient Florida Program, with a great bulk of the money going directly to flood mitigation projects.

More than $7 million will be allocated to three projects in the Midway area.

Hampton said he believes the money will make a huge difference and help to prevent casualties like they experienced after hurricanes Ian and Nicole.

According to a county spokesperson, the Hazard Mitigation Grant program is paying for several other projects.