EDGEWATER, Fla. — Over the weekend, dozens of streets in Edgewater flooded. City officials said some areas received up to seven inches of rain.

The flooding left some residents stuck in their homes as water blocked their driveways. Others were unable to get home until the water receded. Now, residents are calling on the city to take action.

Two days after the flooding, water still lined the streets in Edgewater. Claudia Adkins, an Edgewater resident of five years, said she hadn’t seen flooding at this level since Hurricane Ian in 2022.

“The water in the road was easily up to our waist,” Adkins said.

City officials said Edgewater received up to 7 inches of rain on Saturday. It left dozens of streets flooded, along with Adkins’ driveway. She said when cars drove past her home, water also came into her garage.

“The flooding came all the way up to our garage,” Adkins said. “With all the vehicles driving through, the water actually did go into our garage.”

Hundreds of photos and videos poured in on social media from concerned residents. Adkins said the flooding brought her stress and anxiety.

“I was very anxious,” she said. “I was depressed. It caused just so much stress in my home. You know, we work so hard to be able to afford a home and we can't afford to up and move.”

Adkins and other residents think the increased flooding could be caused by a new development on Volco Road.

On Monday afternoon, Adkins started a petition calling on the city to pause the development. It gained over 130 signatures in five hours. 

“We want them to put a halt on what's going on,” Adkins said. 

Residents also started a Facebook group called “The people of Edgewater demand action from flooding.” It’s gained nearly 500 members since the weekend. Edgewater Mayor Diezel Depew said he’s heard concerns about the development from residents.

“I went to the Volco Road Development site myself with several county representatives, have spoken to several people, and there are concerns with that project that need to be dealt with,” Depew said.

He said while he can’t speak for the entire city council, it’s his belief that development should be paused until current infrastructure is addressed.

“I do believe that we cannot continue to develop until we take care of our current infrastructure that is here,” Depew said. “We need to complete our stormwater master plan.”

Depew knows flooding firsthand. He said his family lost everything due to flooding from Hurricane Ian. He said the city took action then, but needs to do more now.

“We need to look at why this is occurring, why our current infrastructure is failing, and what kind of state and federal resources we can look into to make sure this is not occurring just off of a simple rain event,” he said.

Depew said he’s going to call for a city council special meeting or workshop to address flooding concerns. Workshops typically don’t allow for public comment, but Depew said he wants to make sure public comment is included.

There’s no date or time set yet, but Depew said he wants the meeting to be as soon as possible.

Reagan Ryan is a 2023 — 2025 Report for America Corps Member, covering the environment and climate across Central Florida for Spectrum News 13. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues.