Investigation finds no evidence staff intentionally caused flooding, interim manager says

Interim City Manager Thurman told the council that a contracted investigation by the Delta Group reviewed resident interviews, documents and open-source material and concluded that the reviewed allegations were unsupported. "No evidence was found to suggest the city of Edgewater or any other public works employee intentionally used or failed to use pumps in order to cause retaliatory flooding upon anyone," Thurman said when summarizing the findings.

Thurman outlined three focal allegations the study examined: a Duck Lake claim that pumps had been intentionally stopped during Hurricane Milton; a story about a valve on Comquat Drive; and concerns that a nearby development (Edgewater Preserve) sits higher than Bridal Shores and contributed to runoff. He said the report's interviews did not yield tangible evidence beyond residents' historical accounts and that employees interviewed "held city engineer Randy Kozel in the highest regard." Thurman said the report totals more than 300 pages and includes a four-page executive summary delivered to council and staff.

The reading included operational follow-ups: copies of the report were placed in council members' mailboxes, staff will continue stormwater master-plan work with Jones Edmunds Association, and the city has posted the city-engineer position and will continue public communication about maintenance activities. The council did not take a separate vote on the investigation summary at the meeting; Thurman said the report was funded through the FY2024-25 stormwater fee budget and that staff would incorporate findings into the ongoing engineering and maintenance program.