Titusville residents tell council new retention ponds and dams have repeatedly flooded neighborhoods; staff points to FEMA modeling and ongoing feasibility work
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Summary
Residents near Temple Drive and Baker Subdivision told the council repeated flooding and alleged discharges have damaged property and wildlife; city staff said FEMA LOMA modeling showed negligible changes to flood surfaces and that a Saint John's Basin feasibility study is underway.
Multiple residents spoke at the Dec. 9 meeting to raise alarms about repeated flooding, property damage and what they described as higher retention-pond water levels since recent pond and dam construction.
Stan Johnston, Steven Hansel and Richard Austin described homes flooded multiple times, lost vehicles, dead fish in private ponds, and neighbors’ claims that nearby facilities pumped wastewater into flooded streets. Hansel estimated tens of thousands of dollars in private property damage for himself and neighbors and asked the city to take action to stop continued flooding.
City staff responded that consultants performed pre- and post-project hydrologic modeling as part of a LOMA (Letter of Map Amendment) request and that the consultant’s models showed negligible changes to flood-surface elevations across the basin for the 100-year event. Staff offered to review individual properties with the modeling data and indicated the Saint John’s Basin feasibility study addressing historic flooding is in progress and expected to conclude in about 12 months.
Council members asked staff to follow up on individual complaints and to coordinate with county partners where appropriate. The city indicated further staff-level coordination is planned and invited residents to provide details for one-on-one review.
Next steps: Staff will review individual model data with affected homeowners and continue coordination with the pending Saint John’s Basin study; the city has scheduled a Jan. 22 stormwater workshop to solicit community input and provide staff guidance.
