ST. CLOUD, Fla. — St. Cloud’s Floodplain Management Office is giving insight to the city’s flood risks and vulnerabilities and future projects to combat them.

Residents have been giving their input for months, and city officials now have a plan drafted on what they would like to do to make the area more resilient to flooding.

City officials have revealed 23 action items, and they cover a lot of ground.

To name a few, officials want to prioritize city contracts with local businesses for various resilience development projects.

That can be seen through weatherization, stormwater system maintenance and property elevation.

The city also wants to improve drainage, flood storage and infiltration in and around stormwater systems. City officials said that will reduce flooding of nearby properties.

Mobile homes near Lake Toho flooded after Hurricane Ian in 2022.

City leaders now want to develop a stormwater management master plan for the city, to protect existing hydrologic functions.

Last summer, a steering committee created to guide and oversee the development of this plan was formed.

An area resident said he wants these plans to come to fruition.

“It’s a good thing the St. Cloud city is working on developing a plan in hopes of enhancing state funding for particular projects to help keep us from getting in trouble 20 to 30 years from now as the water gets worse,” Thomas Fichtel said. 

City officials said they want to make sure the goals of this project are to minimize impacts, have sustainable growth and be prepared for what could come.

It’s important to note this is still a draft, and a final one will be presented to the city council in the near future.

For more information on this project, visit this link.