Frustrated homeowners bring flooding concerns to Edgewater city leaders

Edgewater residents take flood concerns to city council

Flooding has frustrated residents in one Edgewater neighborhood and they have taken their concerns to the Monday evening city council meeting.

EDGEWATER, Fla. - Edgewater residents packed Monday night's city council meeting to confront city leaders after a downpour on Saturday caused flooding.

Homeowners have voiced their concerns to FOX 35 News over ongoing flooding that has plagued the area since Hurricanes Ian and Nicole.

"I go into panic mode," said Kimberly Penny, a resident. "I’m watching the wall sockets to see if there’s water coming in, and I can’t sleep."

Penny’s home has been severely impacted by flooding, leading to a dramatic rescue when police had to use jet skis to evacuate her family.

"They couldn’t even find our door handle to get in the front door," Penny recalled.

The situation is especially dire for Penny, whose daughter suffers from a terminal illness, Sanfilippo syndrome.

"We have machines we have to pack up. We have to think about all her medications and her diaper. There’s a lot to think about," she said.

Lisa Delaney, Penny’s neighbor, shares similar frustrations. Although her property is on slightly higher ground, she remains concerned for those around her.

"It’s pretty scary waking up at 4:30 in the morning, looking out the front window just to see what’s going on," Delaney said. "I’m more worried for my neighbors than I am for myself."

Both women and others in the community call on city officials to take action and implement changes before another storm strikes.

"I think this street, along with plenty of others around here, we’re going to get hit again," Delaney warned.

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While flooding was not on Monday's agenda, more than 100 neighbors crowded into council chambers, forcing the council to devote the first two hours of the meeting to public comment about flooding.

"We don’t want to beat you up, but we want some answers," one woman said.

The FOX 35 Storm Team said Saturday's rain totals varied from three to as many as six inches in some spots.

"I went to work the other day, and I came home, and I needed a kayak to get down my street," one man said.

Videos posted on social media showed flooded streets. A cooler is seen floating away, children splash in the water, and intersections look like lagoons.

"My home experienced flooding during Hurricane Ian, and coming home Saturday after going to see a movie with my husband, I experienced waste-deep water," another woman said.

Most neighbors and Volusia County Commission Chair Jeff Brower, who is running for re-election, agreed. They blamed nearby developments, which changed how stormwater drains, for the persistent flooding.

"One of the biggest developers in this state built right up to my fence," another man said.

"We cannot continue to build and develop the way that we have been," Brower said. "It’s not just the definition of insanity; it’s the definition of economic disaster."

Mayor Diezel DePew said he sympathized with the flooded neighbors.

"This is our top priority," DePew said. "We have taken measures since Hurricane Ian, and clearly, it’s simply not enough. We need to look into what occurred."

The council plans a special meeting for Friday at 6 p.m. to discuss flooding infrastructure. Council members seemed open to considering imposing a building moratorium as a remedy.

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