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Residents urge action after October flash flood; council schedules stormwater workshop and pledges more resources
Summary
Residents described severe October flooding that flooded homes and damaged property; council and city manager pledged a retooled Jan. 22 stormwater workshop, a master plan and increased maintenance resources while noting budget limits and that the storm was exceptional.
Residents who lost homes and property in an October flash flood pressed the Titusville City Council on Jan. 13 for faster, clearer action on stormwater maintenance and development oversight.
“I got a foot and a half of water through my house,” said Bill Kuzma, who described damage to his home and neighbors after construction activity near a culvert. Gail Kuzma said the family’s house suffered about $100,000 in structural damage and another $100,000 in contents losses.
The complaints focused on clogged or overgrown ditches, unclear responsibility among private, city and county drainage, and the timing of dredging. Kuzma said staff had told her the ditches behind Maryland Avenue had not been dredged in more than two years.
City Manager (unnamed) acknowledged the problem, told council the flood was a rare "1-in-500-year" event but said that was not an excuse for maintenance failures, and committed to near-term and longer-term steps: reformatting the Jan. 22 stormwater workshop to prioritize citizen testimony, directing additional staff and equipment to the stormwater division, and pursuing a stormwater master plan. He said the department received only 17% of requested stormwater funding in the recent budget (the city had requested 28%).
Council members pressed for clarity on where ditches connect, which jurisdiction is responsible, and what policy or budget changes are needed to prevent repeat damage. Member Stockel said the council wants to know what policies and funding are necessary to ensure residents do not face the same losses again.
The city manager said staff will present scheduling, resource needs and a plan for the master plan at follow-up meetings. He also announced crews had recently cleared clogged culverts in one affected neighborhood.
Next steps: the city will hold the Jan. 22 stormwater workshop (reformatted for citizen input) and pursue a formal stormwater master plan and budget review to identify required staffing and equipment.
