Pinehurst residents press River Ridge CDD over repeated flooding; board approves $173,367.78 ditch‑cleaning and amends loan to fund projects

Pinehurst residents urged the River Ridge Community Development District on June 25 to make their neighborhood a top priority after repeated flooding, and the Board approved immediate cleanup work and a financing amendment to help pay for it.

Resident Mike Dugan read a prepared statement saying Pinehurst had experienced “unprecedented” flooding during the June 12–14 tropical storm and demanding that River Ridge treat Pinehurst flooding as its “#1 or co-#1 priority,” warning that residents would pursue legal options or hire private sandbagging contractors if the district did not act. Resident Ed Nowak said the redesigned storm system appeared to have shifted water problems from the Masters to Pinehurst, described water bubbling from receivers one week after the rain and called the redesign “flawed and unacceptable.”

District Manager Chuck Adams asked for a drainage update. District Engineer Charlie Krebs said he inspected the area after receiving video from the community, found debris and blockages at grates and in pipes, had MRI inspect and remove leaves and flush debris, and believes some Pinehurst drains may be more than 25% blocked and require cleaning. Krebs said MRI would clean the inlets and committed to follow up; Chair Bob Schultz asked Krebs to prepare a written plan with an estimated timeline for the Board, staff and the Pinehurst neighborhood representative.

As part of the Board’s response, the district presented an estimate from MRI Construction, Inc. to clean dry retention flow‑way ditches adjacent to River Course holes #6–#8 for $173,367.78. The Board also considered and adopted Resolution 2024-05, authorizing an amendment to the use of proceeds of the Improvement Revenue Note, Series 2024, and authorizing the district to enter a first amendment to the loan agreement with Synovus Bank to accommodate the revised project scope. Both motions passed unanimously. On the MRI item, the motion to approve was made by Kurt Blumenthal and seconded by Terry Mountford; on Resolution 2024-05 the motion was made by Mr. Blumenthal and seconded by Mr. Mountford; both votes were recorded as “with all in favor.”

The Board also unanimously approved a recommendation that the Fining Committee review homeowners who removed littorals from a lake bank, a separate action tied to lake‑bank vegetation management.

Why it matters: Pinehurst residents described repeated safety and access problems from standing water and pressed for an expedited, prioritized response. The Board approved both immediate remediation work and a financing amendment to ensure the work is funded; the engineer will provide a written plan and timeline for remediation and further updates at future meetings.

Next steps: The engineer will deliver a written remediation plan and timeline to the Board, staff and Pinehurst neighborhood representative; MRI Construction will proceed with the approved ditch‑cleaning scope; the district’s loan amendment becomes effective as adopted in Resolution 2024-05.