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Residents of flooded Orlando neighborhood speak up at City Council meeting

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Published  September 10, 2024 12:30am EDT
Orange County
FOX 35 Orlando

Orlando residents call for better flood response

One week after severe flooding in downtown Orlando, residents are still drying out. They brought their concerns to city leaders on Monday.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Residents of the Wadeview Park neighborhood in South Orlando expressed their frustration at a Monday City Council meeting, blaming a nearby construction project for recent flooding in their area. 

Many believe the construction, not just heavy rainfall, is responsible for the damage.

"We feel unheard, we feel unanswered, and it’s incredibly frustrating," said Wadeview resident Katie Coch.

City officials, however, maintain that the flooding was caused by rain falling faster than the system could manage. Last week, District 4 Commissioner Patty Sheehan and Orlando Public Works Director Corey Knight met with residents, asserting the same explanation. When questioned by frustrated homeowners who had lost everything in the flood, the officials reportedly left the meeting abruptly.

RELATED: Orlando residents blame city construction for severe flooding

During the City Council meeting, several residents voiced their disappointment over how city officials handled the prior meeting.

"It is unacceptable for an elected official to meet that frustration with blatant disrespect, rudeness, and display an unsympathetic attitude," said John Abbot, a local realtor.

Stephen and Anne Harrison, who hosted the meeting with officials at their home and had moved in just three weeks before the flood, also spoke out. "Leadership hasn’t offered any support or even had the decency to say we’re sorry that happened to you," Stephen Harrison told the council.

While Wadeview Park residents received apologies at the council meeting, they felt their concerns remained unresolved.

"I know there’s frustration," Public Works Director Knight said. "This event was so intense that, project or not, you would have seen some flooding."

Isabella Brown, a landscape designer in the neighborhood, presented the council with a map illustrating drainage issues she had identified. Brown and her husband, a civil engineer, had previously warned commissioners that the construction project, combined with other factors, could lead to flooding.

"We have experienced significant storms in the past that did not lead to flooding," Brown said. "The only thing that has changed recently is the construction."

Mayor Buddy Dyer directed Knight to review Brown's map and explore options for mitigating flood risks during the construction, which is intended to improve drainage in the area.

Knight noted that intense storms are becoming more frequent in Orlando and that crews are assessing areas that may need system improvements, including Wadeview Park, as the storm season continues.

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