NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. — Next week, New Smyrna Beach will decide whether to increase stormwater rates from $104 to $125 monthly.
The proposed rate increase follows over 1,000 homes flooding during Hurricane Ian in 2022, which overwhelmed the city’s stormwater systems.
“We had to be rescued. We had about two feet of water in our home,” said John DeMeglio, a resident of the Pine Island neighborhood.
“I put 280 thousand dollars into my house and a lot of that was my own money,” said Vickie Stidham, another resident affected by the flooding.
“Stormwater issues have been identified as the number one issue in this community,” said Shane Corbin, Director of Development Services.
The city intends to utilize the higher rates to finance two initiatives focused on greatly enhancing flood management and repairing outdated infrastructure.
Residents in Pine Island have expressed mixed feelings about the rate increase, with some agreeing to the necessity of the measures.
“If that’s what they gotta do to make it not flood, then I’m agreeable to it,” said Vickie Stidham.
However, John DeMeglio expressed frustration over the lack of dredging despite funds allocated by the governor.“The governor allocated us over 2 million dollars to dredge and no one is dredging. We hear excuse after excuse,” he said.
Residents also report that drains are not being cleaned regularly, which worsens ongoing flooding problems.
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