EDGEWATER, Fla. – People who live in Edgewater have had enough of the devastation and flooding after Hurricane Milton earlier this month and Ian two years ago.
As a result, the city manager and mayor unveiled a plan this week to address stormwater flooding and concerns.
Mayor Diezel DePew broke down the short- and long-term plans, which he called years overdue.
DePew said that first, they’re tackling canals, cleaning them out and re-armoring and redoing many of the city’s stormwater pipes.
Ultimately, he said those projects lead back to Duck Lake on 16th street, where the city is building an outfall. He said that will not only prevent this immediate area from flooding but help water move around the city and alleviate flooding elsewhere.
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“Clearly, we didn’t get it right the first time. Clearly, we didn’t get it right the second time. We cannot let this occur a fourth time. I’m sick and tired of having to tell my grandmother in the middle of the night that she’s lost absolutely everything in her home,” he said on Thursday.
DePew said that in the long-term, the city manager is working with an engineering firm to speed up a Storm Water Master Plan to identify more needs.
He said they are also putting out bids to hire an outside a civil engineer to continuously provide a second set of eyes, and they’re working with Volusia County and the state to get more funding.
“The city manager and I have identified several parcels within the city of Edgewater that we could potentially buy for retention areas if the funding is there,” DePew said.
Residents told News 6 they were happy to see some action.
“We are seeing actions right now. I’m seeing them on my street for two days straight. That’s a huge thing,” said resident Kimberly Penny.
Penny has been demanding answers to the flooding problems since Hurricane Ian in 2022. Milton is the second time her home was under water, and she said afternoon storm flooding is getting worse.
“Knowing you’re stuck here; I can’t sell it. I can’t make any money off of it. I can’t buy another house,” she said.
Penny was also one of several residents who complained at this week’s city council meeting about the city’s engineer, which led to the council voting to hire a third party to investigate his actions.
The residents claim the engineer shut off de-watering pumps hours too early adding to the flooding in their homes.
“We take these allegations seriously,” said DePew. “They must be investigated to no end.”
The engineer did not respond to News 6′s request for comment via email. However, the city’s spokesperson sent the following statement:
“The City rented (2) 6″ diameter pumps plus (1) 8″ diameter pump for the purpose of flood control once the forecast showed Edgewater to receive excessive rainfall from Hurricane Milton. This is in addition to (1) 6″ and (2) 4″ pumps already in inventory which were put in use by Wastewater Collections to maintain the function of sewage lift stations that were out of power and surcharged.
Below is a summary of the City’s flood control pumping activity:
City of Edgewater
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