LONGWOOD, Fla. – Residents of the Shadow Bay neighborhood in Seminole County are upset with severe flooding after heavy rain in recent days caused water to cover North Shadow Bay Boulevard and surrounding areas.
Mark Rodriguez, director of the Shadow Bay Club Homeowner Association, described the flooding as the worst the community has ever experienced.
“Atrocious,” Rodriguez said. “(Thursday) night was the worst our community has ever been.”
Persistent rainfall has saturated the ground, leading to water backups throughout the neighborhood.
“Now the concurrent rain that we keep having is pushing water out of the ground. We are saturated,” Rodriguez said.
News 6 has been following the ongoing flooding issue since April, when a homeowner reportedly filled a drainage pipe with concrete.
[TIMELINE: Longwood woman fills drainpipe with concrete, sparks neighborhood flooding]
In response, the HOA filed a civil complaint against the homeowner, and county code enforcement issued a citation. However, the flooding remains unresolved.
“Everyone knew it would get worse. We just didn’t know how bad and when,” Rodriguez said.
Residents are reporting wildlife, such as tadpoles and catfish, in the floodwaters, sparking concerns about a potential increase in mosquito populations.
“Just an afternoon thunderstorm was going to give us what we normally see anywhere else during a hurricane,” Rodriguez said.
The flooding has also disrupted parking in the area, forcing residents to park away from their homes and walk through flooded streets.
He described the emotional toll of explaining the situation to concerned residents.
“That is the most frustrating and emotional part of it because you, No. 1, live and breathe this every day, not just us as directors, but also the homeowners,” Rodriguez said.
Rodriguez remains hopeful something will be done after witnessing Seminole County sheriff’s detectives go door to door on Friday, taking statements from affected homeowners.
When asked about detectives in the neighborhood, the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office said, “We’re still in the very early stages of our inquiry and do not anticipate making any arrests (Friday).”
The next hearing in the case is scheduled for Thursday.