DELAND, Fla. — A special meeting will take place in Volusia County to discuss several proposals regarding flooding. 

They include:

  • No more building on any wetlands.

  • Volusia County needing an aggressive, realistic plan to buy low-lying homes and low-lying lands that consistently flood.

  • And the county needs to have discussions about county-owned land near flooded areas where water can go into a retention pond. 

These proposals follow the county councils’ rejection to a proposed development moratorium in January.

What You Need To Know

  • Volusia County residents are looking forward to a special meeting taking place Feb. 11
  • Volusia County council members are looking to discuss a number of proposals regarding flooding 
  • The proposals follow the county councils’ rejection to a proposed development moratorium in January

Residents say their looking forward to this meeting.

JC Figueredo worries about his neighbors. 

“This is what they’re dealing with. I mean, this horse is eating whatever out of the bottom of this, standing in six inches of water and this is their daily life,” Figueredo said. 

This is a new normal for Figueredo and those around him. 

“There’s muck, ground saturation, and water and the stink. The vegetation starts to break down, and it smells. It’s not something you want to experience every single day,” he said. 

Figueredo said runoff from neighboring developments surrounding his property has aggravated the issue.

“As the water is seeping, the water table is rising, and it’s popping up out of the ground in all these lower areas which historically never held water,” Figueredo said. 

And when you add a hurricane into the mix, like last year, he said the stress builds. 

“The water comes up 3, 4 feet into the soils and makes it so even the littlest bit of rain doesn’t have anywhere to go quickly. Milton definitely added to it and it really affected our immediate area,” Figueredo said.

In January, he attended the Volusia County Council meeting where members ultimately decided not to impose a development moratorium. 

Figueredo said he’s not anti-development, he just wants things done the right way. 

He’s been living in DeLand for six years and wants to protect his property. 

“Reckless development and fast-tracking all of this stuff through at the expense of others is not okay,” Figueredo said. 

The sense of urgency is here. 

“Hurricane season is approaching. We’re five months away now. It’s approaching quickly and we are not in a position right now to take any more water,” he expressed.

The county council also plans to discuss other recommendations, including clearing all city and county canals and having a “healthy conversation” with cities about apartment complexes.

The special meeting will be on Tuesday, Feb. 11, at 4 p.m. at the county council chambers.