Commission approves design-phase hazard-mitigation grants for El Cam Boulevard and Catalina; residents urge bridge option

The Deltona City Commission approved moving forward with design, engineering and permitting for hazard-mitigation work on El Cam Boulevard and Catalina Lake, accepting design-phase grant funding and authorizing staff to proceed with consultant selection. The motion to approve consent agenda item 7C passed 6-1.

City public-works staff explained the grants are hazard-mitigation awards that pay for design, engineering and permitting; construction would be a later phase that requires submission of the completed plans and a new cost-benefit review by FEMA. Staff and city engineering consultants said the design phase will determine the proper number and type of culverts or other conveyance systems and that the intent is to raise the roadway above levels seen in Hurricanes Ian and Milton while providing adequate flow so the road does not act as a dam.

Speakers at the meeting and several commissioners asked whether a bridge would be more durable than elevating the roadway and installing culverts; residents and some commissioners said culverts can clog and may transfer flooding to neighboring properties. City engineers replied the grant required a cost-benefit analysis and a traditional bridge option had not been found cost-beneficial for this grant; engineers said raising the road with adequate conveyance openings and other design measures is the current path, but staff will share prior Teresa Basin study data with the selected design consultant.

Key figures: city staff identified the El Cam grant as about $9,000,000 and the Catalina allocation as about $2.5 million; the design funding request under consent covered engineering and permitting (not construction). Staff emphasized hazard-mitigation grants are project-specific and cannot be reallocated to other stormwater projects.

Why it matters: El Cam Boulevard is a primary east-west route that has closed during past storms, affecting emergency response and local traffic. The design and permitting award moves the project toward construction funding, but commissioners cautioned that escalating construction costs could affect future eligibility and that design choices must avoid creating downstream flooding.

Next steps: Staff will proceed with design and permitting, integrate historic Teresa Basin and storm-event data, and return plans and cost estimates to FEMA for the construction-phase funding decision. Residents and commissioners asked staff to consider bridge alternatives and multiple conveyance openings during the design process.