ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County is receiving new state funding that leaders say will help communities be resilient during extreme weather events.
During a meeting on Tuesday, commissioners approved the acceptance of a $420,000 grant aimed at preparing the county for the impacts of intensified storms and flooding.
The money will be used for a flood resilience study and the approval came nearly a year after Hurricane Ian caused more than $200 million in damages.
The Orlo Vista neighborhood, where Julius Amos lives, was one of the hardest hit areas and saw widespread flooding.
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“In my yard, it was a little over five foot of water,” Amos said. “We had to have boats because the water was too deep for any kind of vehicles to get us out of here.”
Amos said he’s hopeful the new funding will be helpful.
The grant is broken down into two parts; $345,000 for a flood vulnerability assessment and $75,000 will be used for community outreach and education.
“We need to figure out which way the water drains the best and make sure those ways are always clean,” Amos said.
Meanwhile, a $23.4 million flood mitigation project is currently underway in Orlo Vista.
As part of the project, crews are increasing the capacity of retention ponds and making other upgrades to prevent future flooding.
The project is scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2024.
No timetable for the new flood resilience study has been established but grant application paperwork stated everything needed to be completed by March 31, 2025.
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