February 21, 2025 • 31 mins
Despite ongoing efforts, Port Orange continues to face severe flooding issues—why? Join us on Volusia County Uncovered as we investigate the failures of the city’s stormwater system in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Alongside my co-host, Lori Becker—a long-time resident personally impacted by recent storms—we break down the critical shortcomings of infrastructure in flood-prone areas like the Cambridge Basin and Sugar Forest. Our conversation delves into the urgent need for accountability and the pressing demands for government action to safeguard our community from future disasters.
Beyond infrastructure, we examine the challenges city officials face in stormwater management, from resource shortages to complications surrounding property ownership. Discover the Stormwater Master Plan and the city's ongoing struggle to secure state funding for essential projects. We also highlight the human toll of this crisis, sharing the difficult choices residents must make after devastating hurricane damage.
At the heart of our discussion is the power of community advocacy. With a new mayor and council members, there is renewed hope for securing the necessary resources to combat flooding. We explore how grassroots movements can influence local policies and stress the importance of staying engaged through city council meetings and community initiatives. By coming together and demanding action, we can push for the stormwater funding needed to build a more resilient and flood-resistant future for Port Orange.
This show is produced by Beachside Productions
Contact Alec Ferguson
Alecferguson21@gmail.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Well welcome.
This is our very first episodeof the Volusia County Uncovered
podcast.
My name is Sarah Donnelly andI'm joined with Lori Becker here
as we uncover the stormwatersystem failure here in Port
Orange.
I myself, I'm born and raisedhere in Ormond Beach.
Me and my twin sister graduatedfrom Seabreeze High School and
(00:21):
went on to graduate fromUniversity of North Florida.
I have my degree incommunications and I'm an
aspiring journalist, which is abig reason why me and Lori I've
paired up with her and we'reembarking on this journey to see
change in our community.
Hurricane Milton really put usover the edge, flooding wise,
(00:47):
and so there's a lot that can bedone, and we want to be an
educational resource and we wantto be able to inform people
about what you can do to see achange.
So I want to pass it over toLori and introduce herself.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Hi, sarah, thanks for having me today.
Yeah, I'm so lucky that I metyou at a city council meeting
back in October post Milton byabout two or three weeks.
There were many city citizensthat came to kind of, you know,
let the city know that they wereupset about all of the flooding
(01:15):
that was happening post-Milton.
So a little bit of mybackground.
I've been in Florida for about40 years, I've lived in the same
neighborhood for 40 years, andso I flooded the last two storms
we had, with Hurricane Ian andHurricane Milton.
And after Milton I started tothink, you know, we have to do
(01:36):
more.
We have to do more to hold ourcity council people, local
government, accountable, and Ireally just wanted to hear what
they had to say about what wecan do better to build back in
the future.
And so you and I clearly hadthe same ideas together of
(01:57):
wanting to, you know, help ourcommunity to not have to worry
about being flooded.
After a storm we took 14 inches, you know, with Milton Not
everyone flooded a second time.
I only flooded half of my housethe second time.
So, you know, some peopleflooded severely the second time
(02:20):
.
So together, you and I, youknow, seem to be on the same
page with trying to educate ourcommunity and to inform them,
give them some knowledge, someresources and, hopefully, to
empower people to step up andnot be afraid to approach your
city commission.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Absolutely, and you have been so plugged in
throughout this whole processinto the city of Port Orange and
you've talked to city officials, you've been talking to
residents.
I mean you're veryknowledgeable.
It really was, I think, magicthat we were able to pair up and
meet at that city councilmeeting.
And so, yeah, that's our goalwith this podcast is we're here
(02:59):
to break down why your homeflooded in Port Orange and we're
here to talk about that.
So I think the best place tostart is really to kind of go
back to October, to that meetingand right after Hurricane
Milton hit and all thatdevastation I mean we had, it
was crazy.
I mean you remember the damagewe had?
People that were in thishurricane still flooded so bad.
(03:20):
People were in kayaks.
And so can maybe we, maybe it'sworth it to know some of that
severe damage that residentsfaced and what we saw.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yes, yes, so there are some super flood zones in
the eastern side of VolusiaCounty, which is where I'm more
familiar with that.
You know severe flooding.
We've had the Cambridge Basindown in the Spruce Creek area.
Had the Cambridge Basin down inthe Spruce Creek area.
The dam broke two years agoduring EN and so that's just
(03:50):
been held up by large sandbagswhile they're awaiting funding
to fix that.
So there again they flooded.
Also, my neighborhood, theSugar Forest area, seems to be a
big fishbowl whenever we getmore than about 10 inches of
rain, severe flooding, two andthree feet.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
That's how the city's been described is kind of as a
fishbowl, where our elevationit's important to note, you're
only three feet above sea level.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Whereas other cities in Volusia County they don't
face that issue.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
They're a little bit higher above elevation Right,
and so I live in a home that wasbuilt in the 70s.
So back in the 70s and the 80sthere was not a big stormwater
code plan, and so they were ableto build houses almost on grade
level Okay, like myneighborhood specifically is is
(04:45):
built on grade level, and so youknow, obviously that is not
going to withstand even a severerain.
So that is a problem with mostof the houses East of Nova.
Okay, east of Nova, the NovaCanal we all know about the Nova
Canal.
That cannot handle the largeinflux of tidal surge that comes
(05:10):
during a hurricane, of course,depending on the tide.
So all of that water that theNova Canal is bringing in from
Ormond all through Holly Hill,daytona, south Daytona, into
Port Orange, that has toeventually have an outflow at
the Rose Bay, okay, so the canalcannot handle all of that that
(05:35):
tidal surge, and so what happensis it backs up into all the
canals.
It backs up into the canals,the ditches, okay, and it's
overflowing from pond to pond topond, and so that's where the
houses, at least in my communityaround Sugar Forest, are taking
the biggest hit.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
We have the two main canals.
We have our Nova Canal and wehave the B12 Canal.
We've got our three mainoutfall structures, you know, in
the county where the water thatcomes from large storm systems
it falls into these ponds andditches and canals and then, as
you're explaining, it backs up,and so I think a problem too is
(06:14):
the drainage and the cleanlinessof the ditches and the drains.
I know that's been a bigproblem Just getting.
We don't have the resources.
City officials say that wedon't have the resources to get
out there and clean thoseditches.
And then there's also theproblem of private easement or,
you know, is it public propertyand so maybe we can.
(06:37):
Now that's an issue that reallyaffects homeowners.
You know on a daily basiswhether it's a large storm
structure or not.
So let's dive into that andtalk about, you know, some of
the problems that we experiencewithin the actual system, right?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Okay.
So you know, my biggest concernwhen I first approached the
city council was my.
You know my ditch thatsurrounds my house that flooded
my area, and also you know thesugar forest area, but it's
really a much bigger picturethan that.
So a lot of people called thecity prior to the storm, the
(07:15):
public works department can youcome clean my ditch?
Can you come clean mystormwater drain?
Can you, can you, can you?
The city was completelyoverwhelmed.
They just are not prepared withmanpower, with equipment, to be
able to respond to all of theseproblems that we have.
(07:36):
Well, a lot of people found out,as I did, that there's private
ditches.
You know, like, what's behindmy home on my property line
belongs to me, not the defunctHOA behind me.
Some people havecounty-maintained ditches, some
people have city maintainedditches.
So it really depends on whereyou live and whether you're
(07:59):
going to get help or not,because if it's a private entity
, your only hope is public, isfor them to take that with
eminent domain and take controlover trying to clean that ditch
for you, and you would thinkthat they would want to at least
make a consideration to that.
But there's a lot of kickback.
I have found there is a lot ofkickback on that.
(08:20):
The city just doesn't want totake responsibility for private
property ditches and canals andso we're kind of stuck there.
And also, I had a personalconversation with engineering on
the city of Port Orange and Iwas, you know, clearly told they
are understaffed and they don'thave all the right equipment to
(08:43):
be able to go and helpeverybody that wants their ditch
cleaned.
So, yeah, resources are a bigproblem.
The stormwater master plan isin, is in progress right now,
which is great, but that's theplan they started years ago, not
anything from current.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Back in October, I forget.
That's kind of when I think alot of residents, or at least
the ones that showed up, reallyfound out about this stormwater
master plan.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Initially in October when we were all like, okay,
well, we need a better plan.
Oh well, we have a plan andthat plan is 80% done.
This was in October and it'sstill 80% in December and
apparently we're coming to thefinish line, because they said
March and we're already seeingbits and pieces coming out that
(09:34):
the city, port Orange, at leastPort Orange City Hall, has been
advertising on social media thatthis is the plan that is coming
, that the city has gotten withstate legislatures, they've had
meetings, they're getting readyto go to Tallahassee.
They need money for this.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
They need money for stormwater.
You know fixes and repairswater.
Fixes and repairs.
We all know that takes time.
Driving around off Nova I didsee workers out there with their
utility vehicles actuallycleaning out that canal.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
I know.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
So that was really hopeful to see.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Yeah, it was.
I watched it because I liveright off that Nova Canal.
That Nova Canal is part of thereason why I flood.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Well, yeah, and it's such a crucial piece of
infrastructure to our city, Imean it's really, it's the
county, really, it's from Ormondall the way to our city.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I mean it's really, it's the county, really.
It's from Ormond all the way toRose Bay and we're taking
everybody's water in Port Orange.
We're dumping it into Rose Bay.
If we have a big tidal surge,Rose Bay can't handle it.
It cannot handle it.
Right, it's a tidallyinfluenced body of water right
(10:58):
right, and so that cambridgepump station collapsed years ago
from the last storm.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
So now you know that wasn't, that wasn't even talked
about.
Well, I that wasn't somethingthat was even really.
There's been sandbags the thecanal, the cambridge pump
station has been held up bysandbags for years, and that's
something that we were talkingabout was at one of the meetings
, how city officials were kindof defending the sandbags and
(11:25):
you know the yeah defending thembecause they, you know they
don't have the money.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
the plan was in progress.
You know now the Army Corps ofEngineers.
The plan has been approved,it's going to be started
sometime in the fall of 2025.
It's going to take years tofinish.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Okay, and this is the second one, by the way, and we
do need to note that that is ahuge piece of this is that
anything that the city does,there has to be some type of
study done by the Army.
Corps of Engineers.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
So they very much work together.
It's not like the constructionof a stormwater pond and a pump
system at the Pepper Hill andMadeline Avenue area which
hopefully will relieve some ofthe flooding issues in my
neighborhood.
They say it'll be about 600homes that it should help.
I'm not really sure that'sgoing to affect my side, but it
(12:33):
is one of the proposed projectsthat they have going.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Can you mention kind of give people, because I know a
lot of people from Port Orangeare probably tuned in but maybe
people that aren't familiar tothe city where Pepper Hill is.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Okay, so Nova Road Canal ends around Madeline.
Okay, madeline is kind of a cutthrough, goes all the way from
US 1, comes down Charles Street,winds around, goes all the way
to Williamson.
I mean, it's a big thoroughfareand it's only growing because
they just put a new subdivisionin there where 150 homes are
(13:11):
getting ready to go in.
And that's actually where thisall began, because when the
Madeline Commons slash CampbellCrossing development came in,
all the residents were panickedthat we were going to flood.
And they had every reason to bepanicked because it did flood.
It did flood and it flooded theschool.
(13:33):
It flooded Sugar Mill, 13classrooms got flooded, storm
drains were blocked, many peopleflooded.
So there was concern for that.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
So the city recognizes that that is a kind
of a liability and so that is anarea, that where they're trying
to make changes with a pond anda pump station, I think the
residents really got so fired upabout that because people
started to realize, when thesenew constructions are coming
(14:03):
about in the city, that they areup to code and so that means
that they are okay within thelimits of stormwater.
You know what it takes touphold in a storm, and so when
you build new buildings that areelevated, well then what
happens to all the othersurrounding?
(14:23):
areas is you know, it's thatbowl effect where the water dips
into them and then theyexperience flooding.
So I think, that was a bigproblem with Madeline Commons
and people realized that wecan't continue to have new
building.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Especially around communities with homes that are
built in the 70s and 80s.
So you put this whole newsubdivision in there with a
whole new stormwater code plan,which is great.
They got their big culvertpipes and now they have ways for
the water to discharge culvertpipes and now they have ways for
the water to discharge.
But with the community that'saround it that does not have
that plan.
Most of the houses are built ongrade Okay.
(15:00):
So it is going to be a problemand we saw that unfold when
Sugar Mill, you know, took insome water.
So we really don't.
You know it's a continuing,it's all like it's happening as
we speak.
We really don't know what toexpect for the next, you know
the next big hurricane coming.
But I do know that FEMA okay,fema is trying to mitigate.
(15:25):
So we're in hazard mitigationright now.
The county had their hazardmitigation five-year evaluation
plan.
They had three meetings for thepublic at 10.
I attended them and now we'retalking about what we're going
to do in the future.
Okay, are we going to elevatehomes?
Are we going to acquire homesand just tear them down and
(15:49):
create space, land for water tobe able to be absorbed, or are
we going to reconstruct homes.
I mean, that's where we're atnow.
We're in hazard mitigation mode, and so this is where we want
to keep the city on their toesright, all the cities, the
county.
We want to make sure that youknow that we continue to work on
(16:09):
this problem, that we have Ithink in their efforts they have
done a decent job at trying tolisten to the people.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
I mean, we know that their hands are tied when it
comes to certain funding andstuff and I know maybe, you know
, residents could think that abetter job could be done.
But again, that is why we'rehere is to try to break down
that process and help people tounderstand that it's so much
more than what's even in theirspan of control.
And that does bring us up towhere we're at now with how
(16:39):
there was a countywide hazardmitigation meeting, and so our
city officials are heading up toTallahassee to receive funding
for, you know, the plan that'sstarting in 2025.
So that's kind of where we'reat now.
And there's also this statewidecampaign, elevate Florida,
going on, and I think that'skind of where we're at now.
And there's also this statewidecampaign, elevate Florida,
going on, and I think that'sreally important that we get
(16:59):
that information out there.
So let's talk about ElevateFlorida and kind of where we're
at now.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Right, so Elevate Florida is a FEMA plan where you
can either elevate yourstructure, you can mitigate with
reconstruction.
Meaning that if you can't liftyour structure, you can mitigate
with reconstruction.
Meaning that if you can't liftyour house, there are options
for them to rebuild the groundup.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
And lifting your house.
That's no easy feat either.
Right, that's a large homeproject.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Right, and you have to qualify.
I mean, your property has to beeligible to be able to do that.
So you know that is going toall depend on engineering
surveys and just basically doyou qualify.
And then the other thing isacquisition, and the city has
done this.
They have acquired propertiesin the past and they will demo
(17:49):
these, they will tear them downand they will create open spaces
that can never be rebuilt on,so that there is more you know,
more land for water.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
We've seen this with the buildings of pump stations
and retention ponds in the areawhere the city has seized
people's homes and put pumpstations there.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Yeah, when you talk about C's, you know people who
had more than 50% of the valueof their home in insurance
claims from the last twohurricanes.
We call that substantial loss.
Okay, you got a letter from thecity that said that you have a
decision to make you need toelevate or you need to let us
(18:37):
buy your property because youhave had substantial loss so
many times in so many years.
Okay, I'm not sure exactly.
I think it might be twice infive years or something like
that.
And if it's more than 50% ofthe value of your property.
So, in other words, if you had$200,000 home and you took
$125,000 loss from Hurricane Ian, that's more than 50% of the
(18:57):
value of your home and FEMA doesnot want to keep building your
home.
They do not want to keepbuilding your home, so the state
is offering plans to help youmake decisions on what to do
with your property.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
It seems like it's kind of backing residents up
into a corner.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Is what it seems like .
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Because if you just experienced such a substantial
loss, you know and you met thosestipulations, fees and other,
you know, monies that you haveto come up with in order to be
able to elevate your house.
This isn't just like a you knowa.
Yeah, it's not a freebie.
No, this is not.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
It's not a freebie.
You have to pay 25% of the cost.
Okay, so you still have to pay25% of the costs.
There are limits on the squarefootage you can lose.
You could you lose your garage.
I have several friends that areat that finally have been
approved and are awaiting thisactual construction, the the
(19:57):
state is taking bids right nowfor people who are doing the
foundation work and doing theconstruction.
So that's where the state is at.
But, as far as you know,benefit to property owners.
They say that you know you canreduce premiums, it can increase
your property value, um, withonly a cost share of 25% of the
(20:18):
project.
But still that's a lot of moneyfor a lot of people.
And there are grant programslike Transform 386 that can help
you to meet thosequalifications based on your
income.
But still that is a bigundertaking.
It's actually one that I haveconsidered.
I have not had substantial lossthe second time, only the first
(20:39):
time, and I don't want to beput into that bracket of, you
know, losing my home.
I want it to be my choice.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
This is why this is so impactful to residents.
These are homes that peoplework a life savings for and want
to pass down.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Want to pass down to their children and their
grandchildren, and I think thisis really where we've seen the
most impact in the community isresidents really hurting from
the lack of movement that we'veseen in our city.
Government being highlighted isbecause of people showing up
(21:19):
and continuing to talk abouttheir experiences and their
losses, and I mean thathurricane was back in October.
We've still got, we're stilltalking to people that are
dealing with the brunt of ittoday, and it's one of those
weird things where you knowsomeone experiences loss and in
a hurricane and you know, butthe world doesn't stop turning.
So, yes, people are stilldealing with this today as we
(21:42):
speak.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Yes, exactly, and that's actually kind of a sore
spot for me because I live onthe east side of Volusia County,
east of Nova.
If you live west of Nova, withthe exception of a few places
like Colony in the Wood andmaybe Leisure Villas, you're
oblivious to what's going on.
There are people in myneighborhood that are still
digging out from Milton and Ian.
(22:06):
I still have repairs from Ian,so you feel like you've sort of
been abandoned.
All right, and that was mybiggest.
My biggest rant when I went infront of city council is I felt
like they weren't getting enoughboots on the ground to come
through the neighborhood.
You know, at least you know,knock on the door, see who's
really flooded, not depend onFEMA for that.
We have district council people.
(22:27):
You know.
They're sort of kind ofresponsible for everyone in
their own district, and just youknow.
Come around and see, drivearound, see everybody's home
sitting on the sidewalk.
You know that is a traumaticsituation to go through and
anyone who's been through thatknows that.
So if you haven't been floodedand you're living in a whole
(22:50):
different community, you have noidea what it's like to be in
this situation of still diggingout two years later and hit us
back in 2022, and you're right.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
People are still dealing with the consequences of
that today.
And I know that you brought upa good point, that there is a
distinction between the citylevel and the county level, and
so those meetings and you'vebeen to both You've been to city
meetings and county meetings-so, how do you see at the county
(23:24):
level, do you see a fastermoving pace?
Speaker 2 (23:26):
you know as far as funding I think that the county
can move faster and because youknow they're going to take their
city commission from each cityand what everyone's doing at
this at the local city,municipality level uh, you know
advice and what's going on thereand then they push that up to
the county level.
The county is the one that hasmore pull in terms of getting
(23:50):
the funding they need out ofTallahassee.
Elevate Florida is anapplication process through the
state of Florida and the city isthere to help help you through
that process, to helpaccommodate you through that
process.
But they, you know, makethey're not the initial
application location and that'spretty well uh set out on the
(24:13):
website that they have um forelevate florida because this is
a statewide thing.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
We're not the only that's thing.
We're not the only that'sanother important we're not the
only county that's going forfunding up to Tallahassee.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Exactly Okay.
So that brings up a point islike there is a huge piece of
the pie out there, millions andmillions.
There was something like Idon't know 60 million.
So we have to hope to get ourlittle piece of the pie.
So you know, our, our localleaders have to go up, and they
have to.
You know, they have to reallystate a good case as to why
(24:43):
Volusia County needs this, this,this and that.
So you know, that's where we'reat with that.
I think we have a really goodchance of getting a big, a
pretty good piece of the pie,because we were impacted, we
were heavily impacted, and soright now, from the meeting last
night, there's 123 applicationsfor Elevate Florida.
Not many when you consider howmany houses you know were
(25:04):
impacted.
So this time around there wasonly about 900 to 1,000 that
were, you know, impacted.
But there's more.
Because I did not even I didnot file a FEMA claim because my
deductible was too high.
It was really going to be awaste of time.
So there's people like me thatkind of fell through the cracks.
But in Ian there was thousands,thousands more.
(25:27):
So it's important to kind ofkeep that into perspective.
123 homes applying for ElevateFlorida is nothing and we need
to do more to get the word outso that people at least have
some options Because the moneyis there.
You know the county wantsapplications.
They want people to apply, sothe more people that apply, the
(25:51):
more money they get.
So we've got to get the wordout there for people that are
really struggling and trying tomake the decision as to whether
or not they should stay in theirhome.
They should leave and take abig bite on the amount that
they're going to have to sell itfor, okay, or they should try
and reconstruct.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
So we did go through a change in our local government
where we did get a new mayorRight.
So we've seen, not only aswe're walking through this
process through a new year,we're also walking through this
process under new representation.
I think we've seen a good job.
There's some talks at thesecouncil meetings of certain
(26:36):
advisory boards in the works andmaybe we can go ahead and Well,
yeah, we did transition in anew mayor this is in Port Orange
.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
We transitioned in a new mayor Scott Stiltner has
come in, and then we had two newcouncil members come in.
So so it is, you know, somewhatof a changing of the guard, but
they're all local residents,they know what's going on in the
community.
It was pretty, it seems likeit's been easy for them to sort
of fill the seat, but clearly,from what I gather, they totally
(27:07):
understand the situation.
They're excited about going upto, you know, to Tallahassee and
trying to lobby for funding.
We're all on the same page.
They're on the same page, youknow, but it's difficult for
them.
They have to sit and listen topeople cry literally at the
microphone about their home, andso that's, you know, that's you
(27:31):
know that's part of the job, Iget it.
But we really need proactive,aggressive leaders to take this
you know this situation that wehave and really try and make a
change.
And enough of this riskmanagement.
We've got to move forward andbe aggressive and if it means a
(27:52):
grassroots coalition, like whatyou and I are trying to, you
know, are trying to get startedhere.
There are many people in thecommunity I've hooked up with on
social media.
We all are sort of gettingtogether and we're trying to
stay strong in facing our cityleaders.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Yes, and so there are resources out there for
community members, for residents.
I think one of the mostimportant things that, as a
resident, you can do is to showup to these city council
meetings, meetings like you said, prepare that three-minute
speech, stand in front of theyou know your city officials and
let them know how it's impactedyou.
(28:30):
That's been a big thing inkeeping this alive.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Yes, so I this is, you know, new to me.
I mean, I've never, really,never really stepped up to the
podium before like this.
So what I've decided to do isjust get the courage to come up
with a three minute.
You know, discussion about myproblem, my community's problems
(28:54):
, and other people are too.
There's different approaches tothis, of course.
Other people are too.
There's different approaches tothis, of course.
But and then, of course, you'vegot to go further if you have
to have heart to hearts withyour district councilman.
If you have to email, yeah, butI haven't yet so with with my
city council, my districtcouncil.
But you can also reach out,like I did finally meet Valerie
(29:20):
Duhl at one of the meetings atthe EOC, the Lish County
Emergency Management, and now Ihave a really good dialogue
going with her, emailing why sheupdates me on things, and also
phone conversations withengineering.
Engineering and Mayor Stiltnerseems very interested in wanting
(29:43):
to have conversations.
He's in it all the way to theend and I'm hopeful that this is
going to be a really goodcouple of years.
If we can move forward with thefunding that we need to help us
keep our houses from beingflooded.
On the east side of Novaparticularly, hopefully I'll be
(30:05):
able to stay in my home.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
I think Mayor Stiltner has done a great job at
listening to what people havesaid and moving forward in this,
and I think that's a great wayto wrap it up.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
There'll be more, you know know, as we move forward.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
every city council meeting brings you know more
information that we can, youknow, continue to get out into
the community and so weencourage you to go on the City
of Port Orange website and youknow that's really where it is,
all of this information.
You know me and Lori, we're nota magic ball or anything like
that.
You can find all of thisinformation right on the city's
(30:41):
website.
You can find how the stormsystem works, you can find
information about privateeasement, you can find
information actually, about alot of the things that we
covered today and, mostimportantly, you can find when
the next city council meeting is, so that you can make sure that
you're there with your littlethree-minute speech prepared,
(31:02):
because it really does take acommunity to come together all
of us and want to see change fora more flood-resistant
community.
So I thank you so much, Lori,for joining me today.
It's been such a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Thank you for listening, yeah absolutely.
Well welcome.
This is our very first episodeof the Volusia County Uncovered
podcast.
My name is Sarah Donnelly andI'm joined with Lori Becker here
as we uncover the stormwatersystem failure here in Port
Orange.
I myself, I'm born and raisedhere in Ormond Beach.
Me and my twin sister graduatedfrom Seabreeze High School and
(00:21):
went on to graduate fromUniversity of North Florida.
I have my degree incommunications and I'm an
aspiring journalist, which is abig reason why me and Lori I've
paired up with her and we'reembarking on this journey to see
change in our community.
Hurricane Milton really put usover the edge, flooding wise,
(00:47):
and so there's a lot that can bedone, and we want to be an
educational resource and we wantto be able to inform people
about what you can do to see achange.
So I want to pass it over toLori and introduce herself.
Speaker 2 (00:54):
Hi, sarah, thanks for having me today.
Yeah, I'm so lucky that I metyou at a city council meeting
back in October post Milton byabout two or three weeks.
There were many city citizensthat came to kind of, you know,
let the city know that they wereupset about all of the flooding
(01:15):
that was happening post-Milton.
So a little bit of mybackground.
I've been in Florida for about40 years, I've lived in the same
neighborhood for 40 years, andso I flooded the last two storms
we had, with Hurricane Ian andHurricane Milton.
And after Milton I started tothink, you know, we have to do
(01:36):
more.
We have to do more to hold ourcity council people, local
government, accountable, and Ireally just wanted to hear what
they had to say about what wecan do better to build back in
the future.
And so you and I clearly hadthe same ideas together of
(01:57):
wanting to, you know, help ourcommunity to not have to worry
about being flooded.
After a storm we took 14 inches, you know, with Milton Not
everyone flooded a second time.
I only flooded half of my housethe second time.
So, you know, some peopleflooded severely the second time
(02:20):
.
So together, you and I, youknow, seem to be on the same
page with trying to educate ourcommunity and to inform them,
give them some knowledge, someresources and, hopefully, to
empower people to step up andnot be afraid to approach your
city commission.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
Absolutely, and you have been so plugged in
throughout this whole processinto the city of Port Orange and
you've talked to city officials, you've been talking to
residents.
I mean you're veryknowledgeable.
It really was, I think, magicthat we were able to pair up and
meet at that city councilmeeting.
And so, yeah, that's our goalwith this podcast is we're here
(02:59):
to break down why your homeflooded in Port Orange and we're
here to talk about that.
So I think the best place tostart is really to kind of go
back to October, to that meetingand right after Hurricane
Milton hit and all thatdevastation I mean we had, it
was crazy.
I mean you remember the damagewe had?
People that were in thishurricane still flooded so bad.
(03:20):
People were in kayaks.
And so can maybe we, maybe it'sworth it to know some of that
severe damage that residentsfaced and what we saw.
Speaker 2 (03:29):
Yes, yes, so there are some super flood zones in
the eastern side of VolusiaCounty, which is where I'm more
familiar with that.
You know severe flooding.
We've had the Cambridge Basindown in the Spruce Creek area.
Had the Cambridge Basin down inthe Spruce Creek area.
The dam broke two years agoduring EN and so that's just
(03:50):
been held up by large sandbagswhile they're awaiting funding
to fix that.
So there again they flooded.
Also, my neighborhood, theSugar Forest area, seems to be a
big fishbowl whenever we getmore than about 10 inches of
rain, severe flooding, two andthree feet.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
That's how the city's been described is kind of as a
fishbowl, where our elevationit's important to note, you're
only three feet above sea level.
Speaker 2 (04:18):
Correct.
Speaker 1 (04:19):
Whereas other cities in Volusia County they don't
face that issue.
Speaker 2 (04:24):
They're a little bit higher above elevation Right,
and so I live in a home that wasbuilt in the 70s.
So back in the 70s and the 80sthere was not a big stormwater
code plan, and so they were ableto build houses almost on grade
level Okay, like myneighborhood specifically is is
(04:45):
built on grade level, and so youknow, obviously that is not
going to withstand even a severerain.
So that is a problem with mostof the houses East of Nova.
Okay, east of Nova, the NovaCanal we all know about the Nova
Canal.
That cannot handle the largeinflux of tidal surge that comes
(05:10):
during a hurricane, of course,depending on the tide.
So all of that water that theNova Canal is bringing in from
Ormond all through Holly Hill,daytona, south Daytona, into
Port Orange, that has toeventually have an outflow at
the Rose Bay, okay, so the canalcannot handle all of that that
(05:35):
tidal surge, and so what happensis it backs up into all the
canals.
It backs up into the canals,the ditches, okay, and it's
overflowing from pond to pond topond, and so that's where the
houses, at least in my communityaround Sugar Forest, are taking
the biggest hit.
Speaker 1 (05:52):
We have the two main canals.
We have our Nova Canal and wehave the B12 Canal.
We've got our three mainoutfall structures, you know, in
the county where the water thatcomes from large storm systems
it falls into these ponds andditches and canals and then, as
you're explaining, it backs up,and so I think a problem too is
(06:14):
the drainage and the cleanlinessof the ditches and the drains.
I know that's been a bigproblem Just getting.
We don't have the resources.
City officials say that wedon't have the resources to get
out there and clean thoseditches.
And then there's also theproblem of private easement or,
you know, is it public propertyand so maybe we can.
(06:37):
Now that's an issue that reallyaffects homeowners.
You know on a daily basiswhether it's a large storm
structure or not.
So let's dive into that andtalk about, you know, some of
the problems that we experiencewithin the actual system, right?
Speaker 2 (06:53):
Okay.
So you know, my biggest concernwhen I first approached the
city council was my.
You know my ditch thatsurrounds my house that flooded
my area, and also you know thesugar forest area, but it's
really a much bigger picturethan that.
So a lot of people called thecity prior to the storm, the
(07:15):
public works department can youcome clean my ditch?
Can you come clean mystormwater drain?
Can you, can you, can you?
The city was completelyoverwhelmed.
They just are not prepared withmanpower, with equipment, to be
able to respond to all of theseproblems that we have.
(07:36):
Well, a lot of people found out,as I did, that there's private
ditches.
You know, like, what's behindmy home on my property line
belongs to me, not the defunctHOA behind me.
Some people havecounty-maintained ditches, some
people have city maintainedditches.
So it really depends on whereyou live and whether you're
(07:59):
going to get help or not,because if it's a private entity
, your only hope is public, isfor them to take that with
eminent domain and take controlover trying to clean that ditch
for you, and you would thinkthat they would want to at least
make a consideration to that.
But there's a lot of kickback.
I have found there is a lot ofkickback on that.
(08:20):
The city just doesn't want totake responsibility for private
property ditches and canals andso we're kind of stuck there.
And also, I had a personalconversation with engineering on
the city of Port Orange and Iwas, you know, clearly told they
are understaffed and they don'thave all the right equipment to
(08:43):
be able to go and helpeverybody that wants their ditch
cleaned.
So, yeah, resources are a bigproblem.
The stormwater master plan isin, is in progress right now,
which is great, but that's theplan they started years ago, not
anything from current.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Back in October, I forget.
That's kind of when I think alot of residents, or at least
the ones that showed up, reallyfound out about this stormwater
master plan.
Speaker 2 (09:12):
Initially in October when we were all like, okay,
well, we need a better plan.
Oh well, we have a plan andthat plan is 80% done.
This was in October and it'sstill 80% in December and
apparently we're coming to thefinish line, because they said
March and we're already seeingbits and pieces coming out that
(09:34):
the city, port Orange, at leastPort Orange City Hall, has been
advertising on social media thatthis is the plan that is coming
, that the city has gotten withstate legislatures, they've had
meetings, they're getting readyto go to Tallahassee.
They need money for this.
Speaker 1 (10:03):
They need money for stormwater.
You know fixes and repairswater.
Fixes and repairs.
We all know that takes time.
Driving around off Nova I didsee workers out there with their
utility vehicles actuallycleaning out that canal.
Speaker 2 (10:19):
I know.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
So that was really hopeful to see.
Speaker 2 (10:21):
Yeah, it was.
I watched it because I liveright off that Nova Canal.
That Nova Canal is part of thereason why I flood.
Speaker 1 (10:28):
Well, yeah, and it's such a crucial piece of
infrastructure to our city, Imean it's really, it's the
county, really, it's from Ormondall the way to our city.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I mean it's really, it's the county, really.
It's from Ormond all the way toRose Bay and we're taking
everybody's water in Port Orange.
We're dumping it into Rose Bay.
If we have a big tidal surge,Rose Bay can't handle it.
It cannot handle it.
Right, it's a tidallyinfluenced body of water right
(10:58):
right, and so that cambridgepump station collapsed years ago
from the last storm.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
So now you know that wasn't, that wasn't even talked
about.
Well, I that wasn't somethingthat was even really.
There's been sandbags the thecanal, the cambridge pump
station has been held up bysandbags for years, and that's
something that we were talkingabout was at one of the meetings
, how city officials were kindof defending the sandbags and
(11:25):
you know the yeah defending thembecause they, you know they
don't have the money.
Speaker 2 (11:29):
the plan was in progress.
You know now the Army Corps ofEngineers.
The plan has been approved,it's going to be started
sometime in the fall of 2025.
It's going to take years tofinish.
Speaker 1 (11:42):
Okay, and this is the second one, by the way, and we
do need to note that that is ahuge piece of this is that
anything that the city does,there has to be some type of
study done by the Army.
Corps of Engineers.
Speaker 2 (12:10):
So they very much work together.
It's not like the constructionof a stormwater pond and a pump
system at the Pepper Hill andMadeline Avenue area which
hopefully will relieve some ofthe flooding issues in my
neighborhood.
They say it'll be about 600homes that it should help.
I'm not really sure that'sgoing to affect my side, but it
(12:33):
is one of the proposed projectsthat they have going.
Speaker 1 (12:37):
Can you mention kind of give people, because I know a
lot of people from Port Orangeare probably tuned in but maybe
people that aren't familiar tothe city where Pepper Hill is.
Speaker 2 (12:48):
Okay, so Nova Road Canal ends around Madeline.
Okay, madeline is kind of a cutthrough, goes all the way from
US 1, comes down Charles Street,winds around, goes all the way
to Williamson.
I mean, it's a big thoroughfareand it's only growing because
they just put a new subdivisionin there where 150 homes are
(13:11):
getting ready to go in.
And that's actually where thisall began, because when the
Madeline Commons slash CampbellCrossing development came in,
all the residents were panickedthat we were going to flood.
And they had every reason to bepanicked because it did flood.
It did flood and it flooded theschool.
(13:33):
It flooded Sugar Mill, 13classrooms got flooded, storm
drains were blocked, many peopleflooded.
So there was concern for that.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
So the city recognizes that that is a kind
of a liability and so that is anarea, that where they're trying
to make changes with a pond anda pump station, I think the
residents really got so fired upabout that because people
started to realize, when thesenew constructions are coming
(14:03):
about in the city, that they areup to code and so that means
that they are okay within thelimits of stormwater.
You know what it takes touphold in a storm, and so when
you build new buildings that areelevated, well then what
happens to all the othersurrounding?
(14:23):
areas is you know, it's thatbowl effect where the water dips
into them and then theyexperience flooding.
So I think, that was a bigproblem with Madeline Commons
and people realized that wecan't continue to have new
building.
Speaker 2 (14:38):
Especially around communities with homes that are
built in the 70s and 80s.
So you put this whole newsubdivision in there with a
whole new stormwater code plan,which is great.
They got their big culvertpipes and now they have ways for
the water to discharge culvertpipes and now they have ways for
the water to discharge.
But with the community that'saround it that does not have
that plan.
Most of the houses are built ongrade Okay.
(15:00):
So it is going to be a problemand we saw that unfold when
Sugar Mill, you know, took insome water.
So we really don't.
You know it's a continuing,it's all like it's happening as
we speak.
We really don't know what toexpect for the next, you know
the next big hurricane coming.
But I do know that FEMA okay,fema is trying to mitigate.
(15:25):
So we're in hazard mitigationright now.
The county had their hazardmitigation five-year evaluation
plan.
They had three meetings for thepublic at 10.
I attended them and now we'retalking about what we're going
to do in the future.
Okay, are we going to elevatehomes?
Are we going to acquire homesand just tear them down and
(15:49):
create space, land for water tobe able to be absorbed, or are
we going to reconstruct homes.
I mean, that's where we're atnow.
We're in hazard mitigation mode, and so this is where we want
to keep the city on their toesright, all the cities, the
county.
We want to make sure that youknow that we continue to work on
(16:09):
this problem, that we have Ithink in their efforts they have
done a decent job at trying tolisten to the people.
Speaker 1 (16:19):
I mean, we know that their hands are tied when it
comes to certain funding andstuff and I know maybe, you know
, residents could think that abetter job could be done.
But again, that is why we'rehere is to try to break down
that process and help people tounderstand that it's so much
more than what's even in theirspan of control.
And that does bring us up towhere we're at now with how
(16:39):
there was a countywide hazardmitigation meeting, and so our
city officials are heading up toTallahassee to receive funding
for, you know, the plan that'sstarting in 2025.
So that's kind of where we'reat now.
And there's also this statewidecampaign, elevate Florida,
going on, and I think that'skind of where we're at now.
And there's also this statewidecampaign, elevate Florida,
going on, and I think that'sreally important that we get
(16:59):
that information out there.
So let's talk about ElevateFlorida and kind of where we're
at now.
Speaker 2 (17:06):
Right, so Elevate Florida is a FEMA plan where you
can either elevate yourstructure, you can mitigate with
reconstruction.
Meaning that if you can't liftyour structure, you can mitigate
with reconstruction.
Meaning that if you can't liftyour house, there are options
for them to rebuild the groundup.
Speaker 1 (17:21):
And lifting your house.
That's no easy feat either.
Right, that's a large homeproject.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Right, and you have to qualify.
I mean, your property has to beeligible to be able to do that.
So you know that is going toall depend on engineering
surveys and just basically doyou qualify.
And then the other thing isacquisition, and the city has
done this.
They have acquired propertiesin the past and they will demo
(17:49):
these, they will tear them downand they will create open spaces
that can never be rebuilt on,so that there is more you know,
more land for water.
Speaker 1 (18:00):
We've seen this with the buildings of pump stations
and retention ponds in the areawhere the city has seized
people's homes and put pumpstations there.
Speaker 2 (18:10):
Yeah, when you talk about C's, you know people who
had more than 50% of the valueof their home in insurance
claims from the last twohurricanes.
We call that substantial loss.
Okay, you got a letter from thecity that said that you have a
decision to make you need toelevate or you need to let us
(18:37):
buy your property because youhave had substantial loss so
many times in so many years.
Okay, I'm not sure exactly.
I think it might be twice infive years or something like
that.
And if it's more than 50% ofthe value of your property.
So, in other words, if you had$200,000 home and you took
$125,000 loss from Hurricane Ian, that's more than 50% of the
(18:57):
value of your home and FEMA doesnot want to keep building your
home.
They do not want to keepbuilding your home, so the state
is offering plans to help youmake decisions on what to do
with your property.
Speaker 1 (19:10):
It seems like it's kind of backing residents up
into a corner.
Speaker 2 (19:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:15):
Is what it seems like .
Speaker 2 (19:16):
Right.
Speaker 1 (19:17):
Because if you just experienced such a substantial
loss, you know and you met thosestipulations, fees and other,
you know, monies that you haveto come up with in order to be
able to elevate your house.
This isn't just like a you knowa.
Yeah, it's not a freebie.
No, this is not.
Speaker 2 (19:34):
It's not a freebie.
You have to pay 25% of the cost.
Okay, so you still have to pay25% of the costs.
There are limits on the squarefootage you can lose.
You could you lose your garage.
I have several friends that areat that finally have been
approved and are awaiting thisactual construction, the the
(19:57):
state is taking bids right nowfor people who are doing the
foundation work and doing theconstruction.
So that's where the state is at.
But, as far as you know,benefit to property owners.
They say that you know you canreduce premiums, it can increase
your property value, um, withonly a cost share of 25% of the
(20:18):
project.
But still that's a lot of moneyfor a lot of people.
And there are grant programslike Transform 386 that can help
you to meet thosequalifications based on your
income.
But still that is a bigundertaking.
It's actually one that I haveconsidered.
I have not had substantial lossthe second time, only the first
(20:39):
time, and I don't want to beput into that bracket of, you
know, losing my home.
I want it to be my choice.
Speaker 1 (20:48):
This is why this is so impactful to residents.
These are homes that peoplework a life savings for and want
to pass down.
Speaker 2 (20:55):
Exactly.
Speaker 1 (20:56):
Want to pass down to their children and their
grandchildren, and I think thisis really where we've seen the
most impact in the community isresidents really hurting from
the lack of movement that we'veseen in our city.
Government being highlighted isbecause of people showing up
(21:19):
and continuing to talk abouttheir experiences and their
losses, and I mean thathurricane was back in October.
We've still got, we're stilltalking to people that are
dealing with the brunt of ittoday, and it's one of those
weird things where you knowsomeone experiences loss and in
a hurricane and you know, butthe world doesn't stop turning.
So, yes, people are stilldealing with this today as we
(21:42):
speak.
Speaker 2 (21:42):
Yes, exactly, and that's actually kind of a sore
spot for me because I live onthe east side of Volusia County,
east of Nova.
If you live west of Nova, withthe exception of a few places
like Colony in the Wood andmaybe Leisure Villas, you're
oblivious to what's going on.
There are people in myneighborhood that are still
digging out from Milton and Ian.
(22:06):
I still have repairs from Ian,so you feel like you've sort of
been abandoned.
All right, and that was mybiggest.
My biggest rant when I went infront of city council is I felt
like they weren't getting enoughboots on the ground to come
through the neighborhood.
You know, at least you know,knock on the door, see who's
really flooded, not depend onFEMA for that.
We have district council people.
(22:27):
You know.
They're sort of kind ofresponsible for everyone in
their own district, and just youknow.
Come around and see, drivearound, see everybody's home
sitting on the sidewalk.
You know that is a traumaticsituation to go through and
anyone who's been through thatknows that.
So if you haven't been floodedand you're living in a whole
(22:50):
different community, you have noidea what it's like to be in
this situation of still diggingout two years later and hit us
back in 2022, and you're right.
Speaker 1 (23:03):
People are still dealing with the consequences of
that today.
And I know that you brought upa good point, that there is a
distinction between the citylevel and the county level, and
so those meetings and you'vebeen to both You've been to city
meetings and county meetings-so, how do you see at the county
(23:24):
level, do you see a fastermoving pace?
Speaker 2 (23:26):
you know as far as funding I think that the county
can move faster and because youknow they're going to take their
city commission from each cityand what everyone's doing at
this at the local city,municipality level uh, you know
advice and what's going on thereand then they push that up to
the county level.
The county is the one that hasmore pull in terms of getting
(23:50):
the funding they need out ofTallahassee.
Elevate Florida is anapplication process through the
state of Florida and the city isthere to help help you through
that process, to helpaccommodate you through that
process.
But they, you know, makethey're not the initial
application location and that'spretty well uh set out on the
(24:13):
website that they have um forelevate florida because this is
a statewide thing.
Speaker 1 (24:17):
We're not the only that's thing.
We're not the only that'sanother important we're not the
only county that's going forfunding up to Tallahassee.
Speaker 2 (24:23):
Exactly Okay.
So that brings up a point islike there is a huge piece of
the pie out there, millions andmillions.
There was something like Idon't know 60 million.
So we have to hope to get ourlittle piece of the pie.
So you know, our, our localleaders have to go up, and they
have to.
You know, they have to reallystate a good case as to why
(24:43):
Volusia County needs this, this,this and that.
So you know, that's where we'reat with that.
I think we have a really goodchance of getting a big, a
pretty good piece of the pie,because we were impacted, we
were heavily impacted, and soright now, from the meeting last
night, there's 123 applicationsfor Elevate Florida.
Not many when you consider howmany houses you know were
(25:04):
impacted.
So this time around there wasonly about 900 to 1,000 that
were, you know, impacted.
But there's more.
Because I did not even I didnot file a FEMA claim because my
deductible was too high.
It was really going to be awaste of time.
So there's people like me thatkind of fell through the cracks.
But in Ian there was thousands,thousands more.
(25:27):
So it's important to kind ofkeep that into perspective.
123 homes applying for ElevateFlorida is nothing and we need
to do more to get the word outso that people at least have
some options Because the moneyis there.
You know the county wantsapplications.
They want people to apply, sothe more people that apply, the
(25:51):
more money they get.
So we've got to get the wordout there for people that are
really struggling and trying tomake the decision as to whether
or not they should stay in theirhome.
They should leave and take abig bite on the amount that
they're going to have to sell itfor, okay, or they should try
and reconstruct.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
So we did go through a change in our local government
where we did get a new mayorRight.
So we've seen, not only aswe're walking through this
process through a new year,we're also walking through this
process under new representation.
I think we've seen a good job.
There's some talks at thesecouncil meetings of certain
(26:36):
advisory boards in the works andmaybe we can go ahead and Well,
yeah, we did transition in anew mayor this is in Port Orange
.
Speaker 2 (26:45):
We transitioned in a new mayor Scott Stiltner has
come in, and then we had two newcouncil members come in.
So so it is, you know, somewhatof a changing of the guard, but
they're all local residents,they know what's going on in the
community.
It was pretty, it seems likeit's been easy for them to sort
of fill the seat, but clearly,from what I gather, they totally
(27:07):
understand the situation.
They're excited about going upto, you know, to Tallahassee and
trying to lobby for funding.
We're all on the same page.
They're on the same page, youknow, but it's difficult for
them.
They have to sit and listen topeople cry literally at the
microphone about their home, andso that's, you know, that's you
(27:31):
know that's part of the job, Iget it.
But we really need proactive,aggressive leaders to take this
you know this situation that wehave and really try and make a
change.
And enough of this riskmanagement.
We've got to move forward andbe aggressive and if it means a
(27:52):
grassroots coalition, like whatyou and I are trying to, you
know, are trying to get startedhere.
There are many people in thecommunity I've hooked up with on
social media.
We all are sort of gettingtogether and we're trying to
stay strong in facing our cityleaders.
Speaker 1 (28:09):
Yes, and so there are resources out there for
community members, for residents.
I think one of the mostimportant things that, as a
resident, you can do is to showup to these city council
meetings, meetings like you said, prepare that three-minute
speech, stand in front of theyou know your city officials and
let them know how it's impactedyou.
(28:30):
That's been a big thing inkeeping this alive.
Speaker 2 (28:34):
Yes, so I this is, you know, new to me.
I mean, I've never, really,never really stepped up to the
podium before like this.
So what I've decided to do isjust get the courage to come up
with a three minute.
You know, discussion about myproblem, my community's problems
(28:54):
, and other people are too.
There's different approaches tothis, of course.
Other people are too.
There's different approaches tothis, of course.
But and then, of course, you'vegot to go further if you have
to have heart to hearts withyour district councilman.
If you have to email, yeah, butI haven't yet so with with my
city council, my districtcouncil.
But you can also reach out,like I did finally meet Valerie
(29:20):
Duhl at one of the meetings atthe EOC, the Lish County
Emergency Management, and now Ihave a really good dialogue
going with her, emailing why sheupdates me on things, and also
phone conversations withengineering.
Engineering and Mayor Stiltnerseems very interested in wanting
(29:43):
to have conversations.
He's in it all the way to theend and I'm hopeful that this is
going to be a really goodcouple of years.
If we can move forward with thefunding that we need to help us
keep our houses from beingflooded.
On the east side of Novaparticularly, hopefully I'll be
(30:05):
able to stay in my home.
Speaker 1 (30:06):
I think Mayor Stiltner has done a great job at
listening to what people havesaid and moving forward in this,
and I think that's a great wayto wrap it up.
Speaker 2 (30:16):
There'll be more, you know know, as we move forward.
Speaker 1 (30:19):
every city council meeting brings you know more
information that we can, youknow, continue to get out into
the community and so weencourage you to go on the City
of Port Orange website and youknow that's really where it is,
all of this information.
You know me and Lori, we're nota magic ball or anything like
that.
You can find all of thisinformation right on the city's
(30:41):
website.
You can find how the stormsystem works, you can find
information about privateeasement, you can find
information actually, about alot of the things that we
covered today and, mostimportantly, you can find when
the next city council meeting is, so that you can make sure that
you're there with your littlethree-minute speech prepared,
(31:02):
because it really does take acommunity to come together all
of us and want to see change fora more flood-resistant
community.
So I thank you so much, Lori,for joining me today.
It's been such a pleasure.
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Thank you for listening, yeah absolutely.
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