VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – With ongoing concerns about flooding problems in certain areas, the Volusia County Council will discuss the possibility of a temporary countywide moratorium on residential development.
Last month, Chairman Jeff Brower expressed support for a pause on development and hopes to reach an agreement on exploring the issue during Tuesday’s council meeting.
Elena Krafft lives in Ormond Beach and supports the moratorium after her neighborhood was overwhelmed by floodwater from Hurricane Milton in October.
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“My whole street was basically a river,” Krafft said. “We were lucky enough to not have any water in the house, but we couldn’t leave our house for about two days.”
Krafft believes recent construction of a nearby housing development on Plantation Oaks Blvd. has led to an increase in flooding problems in the surrounding area.
“Paving over every square inch of Volusia County is only going to lead to more flooding,” Krafft said. “I think there’s plenty of other options like low impact development to help offset some of those flooding places.”
If there is enough support from councilmembers on Tuesday, an ordinance could be drafted and voted on at a later date.
District 3 Councilman Danny Robbins said more information is needed on what’s included in the moratorium proposal.
“What is being recommended, nobody really knows,” Robins said. “This is a big lightbulb over Volusia County with a cloud and a question mark.”
Robins said there are also concerns about what kind of impact a development moratorium would have on the local economy.
“At the end of the day, this would affect all of our blue collar workers, our labor force,” he said. “Some areas that are already highly subsidized.”
The Volusia County Council will hear further details and hold discussion on the possible moratorium when the meeting begins Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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