Orange City details Hurricane Milton recovery, seeks federal mitigation funding for damaged roads

Mayor Kelli Marks opened the City of Orange City's state-of-the-city remarks by noting the community’s response to Hurricane Milton and outlining ongoing recovery work. "We've weathered the disaster of Hurricane Milton," Marks said, and the city has since focused on clearing debris and restoring damaged infrastructure.

City officials said crews cleared more than 8,000 cubic yards of debris, reopened most major roads and restored Valentine Park. Heavily damaged residential areas such as Dredfield Place and Graves Avenue have been rebuilt, and Monastery Road remains a major focus for reconstruction as the city works through design, permitting and coordination. "As someone whose own home flooded during this storm, I understand the devastation our community faced firsthand," a council member said while describing the personal and municipal impacts.

The city estimated damages from Hurricane Milton at about $2,900,000 and told residents it expects approximately $2,400,000 in reimbursement through insurance and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding. Separately, the city announced it has received a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program award expected to total just over $2,600,000 to elevate East Graves Avenue; the city said it is awaiting a final funding agreement for council approval before work proceeds.

Officials emphasized that the Monastery Road reconstruction remains in the design and permitting stages and that the city will keep residents updated as projects progress. The presentation framed the recovery work as part of a broader effort to rebuild in a cost-effective way while improving long-term resilience.

Less-critical items mentioned in the address included routine sidewalk and road projects already underway, but the recovery and mitigation efforts for storm-damaged roads and neighborhoods were presented as the most urgent near-term work.