Residents press council on flooding; mayor orders third-party probe and council seeks stormwater master plan

A large group of Edgewater residents used the Nov. 11 public‑comment period to press the City Council for immediate action on recurring floods, asking the council to halt annexations, rezonings and new development until a comprehensive stormwater master plan is adopted.

Residents described repeated home flooding and said they had paid privately for French drains and barriers to protect properties. Claudia Adkins said she and her husband had spent “over $600 on a French drain” and expected to spend thousands more on barriers, and asked the council to “table all current proposals until we have a comprehensive stormwater master plan in place.” Mary Forrester and others asked that public commenters be allowed to address individual council members by name while speaking, and several speakers explicitly tied development approvals to increased flood risk.

Why it matters: residents said the pace of new projects and incomplete infrastructure have left low‑lying neighborhoods vulnerable to future storms and hurricanes. Multiple callers asked whether developers are being held to repair obligations and whether prior traffic and stormwater studies were completed and enforced.

Council and staff response: the council discussed short‑ and mid‑term operational fixes and longer‑term policy steps. Interim City Manager Jeff Thurman said staff had already coordinated with Volusia County for equipment and would rent additional vac trucks where needed. Thurman also announced that, following council direction, he will negotiate a contract with the Delta Group for a third‑party inquiry into operational decisions around storm events. He listed the investigation’s scope, including: whether pumping Duck Lake or additional pumps would have prevented flooding in specific subdivisions; what maintenance and staffing were carried out during hurricanes; why rented pumps were not used; and whether any staff decisions intentionally led to flooding.

Council members asked that the investigation explicitly capture resident allegations — including claims that drains were obstructed — and the manager said the investigator would be given the names and details residents provided. The manager said FDLE declined to assist and the city would engage an outside firm under purchasing thresholds (not to exceed $14,999 under the initial purchase order process).

What the council did next: councilors also revisited the idea of a building moratorium for specific drainage basins and directed staff to fast‑track a stormwater master‑plan contract; the planning schedule was set for a planning‑and‑zoning review followed by first and second readings at council in December/January. Several councilors supported excluding small infill or affordable housing projects (such as Habitat builds) from any moratorium, and staff will draft specific exclusions.

The next steps: staff told the council the stormwater master‑plan consultant would deliver a proposal this week for council review and a budget change order so work can begin. The manager committed to sharing the third‑party investigation scope and to notify residents when investigators will interview witnesses.

Quote: “Would pumping Duck Lake have prevented the Gaslight Subdivision from flooding during Hurricane Milton?” Thurman said the investigator would examine that among other questions.

Ending: The council did not adopt a moratorium at the meeting, but it voted to table multiple development items and to accelerate planning work and an outside investigation in response to resident concerns.