SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Nearly $11 million in grant money will help Seminole County improve the years of documented drainage concerns in the Midway area.
The state’s Resilient Florida Program awarded $7,194,500 to the county to be allocated toward the Historic Midway Community Flood Resilience and Adaptation project.
District 5 Commissioner Andria Herr, who oversees the historic community just north of the Sanford airport, said she’s excited about the new funding.
“We’re one of the only counties in Central Florida that landed the grant made possible by SB-54 signed in 2021. We’re ecstatic,” said Herr.
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For years, families in Midway have raised concerns about the flooding in their neighborhood. As newer developments have surrounded the older, lower-lying homes, the problems have worsened.
“It’s made the problem worse, but it’s given us the opportunity to pay more attention to it since then,” Herr said. “It is absolutely not acceptable that when you walk from one side of the street, it’s a mess to the other side of the street, and it’s pristine and well taken care of.”
In 2021, a study was completed to find solutions for the flooding. It has since led the county to acquire the land needed and start design work on the infrastructure projects needed. Those improvements include new stormwater ponds and upgrades to existing drainage facilities.
Jeff Sloman, an engineer for Seminole County Public Works, says the county earmarked $10 million in federal funding toward the project and other revenue from the county’s one-cent infrastructure sales tax. He says the grant funding from the state is now paying for a significant portion of the work.
“It’s approximately $7 million, which is over 30% of the cost of the actual project, including design, property acquisition and construction,” Sloman said.
Sloman said the county is now in the final design phase of the project, which they said will cost around $32 million. Once complete, homeowners in the area should expect to see improvements when it rains in Midway.
“You’re going to see water, stormwater, leave the neighborhood quicker, and you’ll also see a reduction on the flooding depth during rain events,” Sloman said.
Sloman said it will certainly help, but it won’t prevent flooding during significant flooding events like Hurricane Ian.
“We want the basic infrastructure here to meet the basic standards,” Herr said. “As I said when I was out here before meeting with the residents, it’s going to feel worse before it feels better because once we start digging, that’s a whole different feel that makes it even worse, but then it will be a community that when it rains, everything is functional.”
Herr said the county is leaning in, the state is leaning in financially, and they need the community to lean in by granting easements.
“If the easements don’t come, the whole thing grinds to a halt again — or worse, we start doing it in pieces, which will exaggerate the flooding in other areas, and we do not want that to happen to folks,” Herr said. “If there is one that holds out and we have to go to eminent domain, that stalls everything. So it’s not about the number, it’s about moving forward and getting it all to happen before the next major hurricane happens.”
The county expects the design phase of the project to be done by the end of 2024, and hopefully, they will start construction soon after.
Seminole County submitted the grant application in August 2022. They are also allocating money to the Nebraska Avenue Bridge Replacement project, and Willow Avenue - Alhambra North of Lake Harriet Drainage Improvement project.
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