'My dad's not resting in peace': Families look for solution to flooding problem at Oakland cemetery

Families look for solution to flooding problem at Oakland cemetery

Floodwaters have finally receded at the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery in Orange County, but family members of loved ones buried there are still looking for a solution to what has become a serious flooding problem.

OAKLAND, Fla. - Floodwaters have finally receded at the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery in Orange County, but family members of loved ones buried there are still looking for a solution to what has become a serious flooding problem.

"My dad’s not resting in peace, my grandma. It’s disrespectful," Malcolm Jones explains. He has family members buried at the Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery and still can’t believe the condition he found his deceased family members in after Hurricane Ian made landfall last week.

The Oakland-Tildenville Cemetery was underwater for a second time in as many years, leaving some of the family members of loved ones buried at the cemetery surprised. In 2020, families blamed Pulte Homes, the neighboring housing development. When FOX 35 reached out to the company last week, a spokesperson confirmed there are pumps running to help the water recede.

"Of course it was a lot of rain in a short period of time but what’s going to be done in between? This is Florida, it’s going to rain almost every day. Hurricane season, what’s going to happen next, you know?," Jones said.

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FOX 35 has been searching for answers to these questions. We reached out to Pulte Homes, S&ME, the designer of the neighboring subdivision, and Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). Pulte and FDOT said they are working on our requests.

"At this point, people are considering moving their loved ones from their resting place to find somewhere else," Jones adds. There is ongoing litigation involving the flooding. Jones and several others are part of a class action lawsuit blaming Pulte Homes and S&ME for the flooding issues. A jury trial is set for May of 2023.