Claudia Adkins and her husband were driving back to their Edgewater home from the movies Saturday night when they discovered waist-high flood waters along the road near their house.
Hundreds of residents had a similar experience either that same weekend or several times before.
Adkins said they’d only been away from home for a few hours, and yet water was threatening their doorstep when they returned to their house in Florida Shores. She said they got their baby out of the truck, went into the house, and began barricading the front and back entrances with sandbags.
“I've never seen flooding like that in such a short time,” she said.
The City of Edgewater hosted a special meeting Monday regarding its search for a new city manager, but a large number of the residents who showed up were more concerned about stormwater drainage and called upon the city to do something about it. Adkins also began a petition Monday demanding the city address their concerns. That petition got about 500 signatures in less than 24 hours.
As a result, the city scheduled another special meeting for 6 p.m. Friday.
According to the City of Edgewater, it received 7 inches of rain in less than two hours during a Saturday afternoon thunderstorm.
However, longtime residents believe that newly developed communities may have contributed to the problem, with neighborhoods being built higher and draining into Florida Shores.
“We're so low that all these new developments are coming in, and they're a foot higher than us,” Adkins said.
An Edgewater Facebook group, The People of Edgewater Demand Action From Flooding, has 640 members. Many members believe the problem is development, arguing that the city isn’t cleaning stormwater systems and instead is digging further into the land and causing drainage issues.
The city said on Saturday that its environmental service team was sent to check on stormwater systems.
However, longtime residents believe that newly developed communities may have contributed to the problem, with neighborhoods being built higher and draining into Florida Shores.
“We're so low that all these new developments are coming in, and they're a foot higher than us,” Adkins said.
An Edgewater Facebook group, The People of Edgewater Demand Action From Flooding, has 640 members. Many members believe the problem is development, arguing that the city isn’t cleaning stormwater systems and instead is digging further into the land and causing drainage issues.
The city said on Saturday that its environmental service team was sent to check on stormwater systems.
Friday’s meeting will discuss the possibility of a moratorium on development.
“It has to come to a stop, like the citizens aren't backing down, and the people who own homes in Florida shores are the people who are running Edgewater basically,” Adkins said.
