EDGEWATER, Fla. — In the first town hall meeting hosted by Edgewater’s mayor and city manager, residents shared their concerns about the ongoing flooding issues.

What You Need To Know

  • Some residents say nothing has been done to fix flooding issues

  • City officials said there are short- and long-term plans

Flooding remains an issue for many communities, and that has never been more prevalent than now as we head toward the end of a pretty unprecedented hurricane season.

During Monday night’s town hall, officials said that they wanted to give residents an opportunity to share their concerns without having to limit them on time.

Interim city manager Jeff Thurman disclosed that the city’s stormwater master plan has not been updated since 2014, and he and Mayor Diezel DePew got to hear from residents in the community just how much of an issue those outdated systems are.

The meeting resulted in a few short-term solutions, including de-silting and regrading swales, but long term, officials said the plan would be to revamp the decade-old stormwater master plan and identify and address areas most vulnerable and in need of the most funding.

Thurman also reiterated the city’s efforts to increase maintenance frequency, clean out culverts and pipes and trim around the edges of roads to get water off the roadway.

“I’m excited by the feedback, the input," Thurman said. "I look forward to more. Maybe it’s on a different topic but for stormwater, and to be able to listen and have dialogue. In a city council meeting, you can’t have that dialogue. We’re able to interact with citizens, and you can’t put a price tag on that.”

Some residents said they feel like they’ve been in this place before, though, sharing these same concerns and nothing has been done.

One resident said officials need to actually do something with the issue.

“Unfortunately, I’ve been to a lot of meetings and this has been going on for such a long time, and I do appreciate the new blood wanting to do things differently but it feels like every meeting is a plan to plan to make a plan and nothing’s actually happening,” resident Mandi Bullard said.

Officials said they hope to start seeing results regarding those vulnerable areas by March 2025, with a final updated stormwater master plan due by Dec. 19, 2025.

Two hearings have been scheduled for a proposed building moratorium. The first is expected to be held on Dec. 2, 2024, followed by another hearing in the new year.