Orlando residents blame city construction for severe flooding

ORLANDO, Fla. - Families in South Orlando are cleaning up after severe flooding over the weekend, leaving water knee-deep in some areas. 

Many residents lack insurance coverage since the neighborhood is not designated as a flood zone. Frustrated homeowners blame the city, pointing to ongoing construction straining local drainage systems.

The construction project is intended to improve stormwater and drainage infrastructure in the area. However, residents feel that the closed drains and debris from the project contributed to the flooding. With more rain expected this week, Stephen Harrison says he’s worried about a repeat.

"It was like wading through a river," Harrison recalled. 

The flooding around Delaney Avenue damaged cars, tore apart backyards, and destroyed nearly everything he and his wife Anne owned. 

"Everything's ruined," Harrison said. "It’s a disaster zone." 

The couple had just moved into their home three weeks ago, still unpacking and settling in after purchasing thousands of dollars worth of new furniture and household equipment.

"The most unbelievable part of it is, hardly anyone is helping," Harrison said. "We should have people here helping."

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David Mackoy, another affected resident, said he looked outside on Sunday to see the water rushing through his backyard, encroaching on his patio, and nearing the house. 

"I'm just like, please, Lord, don't let it come any higher," he said. 

Mackoy reported flooding in the crawlspace and is concerned about potential long-term damage.

"I don't know what's happened to the foundation of the home," he said. "That's a lot of water to sit for a very long time." 

According to the National Weather Service, Mackoy noted that the neighborhood's drainage system had been managed through Hurricane Charley and Hurricane Ian, where South Orlando received nearly 11 inches of rain.

Residents believe the flooding wouldn’t have been as severe without the Delaney Avenue Improvement Project. 

"The whole neighborhood knows about this. They've been concerned for months," said Harrison.

Isabella Browne, a landscape designer, and her husband, a civil engineer, voiced their concerns about the project at a public meeting. 

"We were concerned how those improvements — or the process of those improvements — would impact the storm drainage system and potentially lead to worse flooding," Browne explained. "We know that they have to turn the drains off to do some of that work."

The city told FOX 35 News that it "monitors, removes, or maintains drainage erosion filters and barriers required during infrastructure projects when heavy rains are expected." However, when asked if these filters and barriers were removed over the weekend, the city responded, "If they had time and anticipated the amount of rainfall, and if they had those erosion drainage filters in place, they would remove them in advance. Again, it was a flash flood," adding that "The drainage systems generally work as designed, but no system could handle that volume of rain in that short period of time."

A video from Browne shows water pooling along Esther Street during Sunday’s storm. It bypasses storm drains and rushes toward the intersection of Osceola Avenue, eventually flooding Harrison’s home.

"No one seems to care, except for our neighbors," Harrison said. "So, help. Do something." 

FOX 35 contacted the company handling the construction but did not receive a response. The project is expected to be completed in December 2025.

With more rain in this week's forecast, neighbors are worried they could face flooding again.