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Flooded Port Orange residents press council over FEMA letters, ditches and stormwater repairs
Summary
Multiple residents from Sugar Forest and nearby neighborhoods described repeated flooding, damaged homes and slow relief after recent storms; the city manager said staff will hold an open-house vulnerability assessment tomorrow and a public workshop on the stormwater master plan in March to inform state funding applications.
Residents from Sugar Forest and other low-lying Port Orange neighborhoods described ongoing flood damage, safety and property concerns and asked the City Council for clearer communications and faster action on stormwater repairs.
Several speakers said they had received “substantial damage” letters from the city after recent storms and expressed frustration with insurance and recovery delays. Frank Biedlott said his home was labeled “substantially damaged” in an October 2024 letter and questioned a city valuation he described as far below his homeowners and flood-insurance estimates. Kathleen Tarnow and other Sugar Forest residents said small drain pipes, clogged ditches and a nearby retention pond repeatedly let water into backyards and called for clearer responsibility and repairs.
Residents also described neighborhood public-safety problems unrelated to flooding. Heather Curry, a Sugar Forest resident who said she lost household items in a house fire, recounted a multi-year nuisance and code-enforcement problem involving a neighbor she described as a hoarder; she said repeated calls to code enforcement and police had not resolved the situation.
City officials outlined next steps and funding context. City Manager Wayne (presenting as city manager) told the public the city will hold an open-house vulnerability-assessment meeting the following day as part of the state’s Resilient Florida program; that assessment is required to make projects eligible for a 50/50 state funding match. He also said the city’s stormwater master plan is nearly complete and that a March workshop will present modeling and proposed projects publicly. Wayne said the city has begun receiving some federal reimbursements for prior storms (including $1.7 million identified as Irma reimbursement) and that FEMA turnaround times have recently improved for debris and claims related to recent storms.
Several councilmembers and staff urged residents to attend the open house and the March workshop so staff can gather neighborhood-specific flood information. Councilman Grubbs and others said the city is evaluating properties that could be purchased for stormwater mitigation and coordinating with county and state partners on regional solutions. No formal council action or vote on a new project was taken at this meeting; council directed staff to continue planning work and to present results at the public workshops.
The transcript records numerous citizen accounts that the city and staff said they will use to refine modeling and grant applications.
