Volusia County adopts NRAC-backed stormwater amendments after public urging stronger safeguards

Volusia County adopted a package of stormwater ordinance changes on a motion by Councilman David Santiago and a second by Councilman Jake Johansen, the council said during a special meeting. The amendments incorporate recommendations from the Natural Resources Advisory Committee (NRAC) aimed at reducing neighborhood flooding from new development.

County engineer Tad Kaysbier presented the ordinance as “the first step” of technical changes NRAC recommended, saying the measures are intended to improve the reliability of stormwater ponds and reduce the likelihood that new construction will increase flooding on adjacent properties. “One of the things we recommend in the ordinance is that there be a safety factor placed on the seasonal high table elevation,” Kaysbier said, describing a 6‑inch buffer above the geotechnical seasonal-high elevation that would be built into pond designs.

Why it matters: The changes address long-running public concern about new development and its role in localized flooding. The measures are narrowly focused on design and modeling practices—borings, seasonal-high elevation assumptions, and how ponds are sited and detailed—rather than on…