ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Help may finally be on the way for people who live in the Rio Pinar neighborhood of Orange County. That community deals with constant flooding even from everyday rainstorms.
The county is promising action, which WFTV crews saw happening Wednesday while and some was not.
On Tuesday, Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe said construction along Lake Underhill would be put on pause.
While WFTV did see crews working on-site Wednesday, county public works says this was being done near a dam and fixing erosion along the canal.
The department says phase 3 of this project is postponed through the rainy season.
“It’s actually causing more flooding because it’s deterring the flow of water, we’ve halted that through rainy season,” Uribe said. “That should help.”
The county said it is also checking water levels of the pond it created for runoff at the corner of Lake Underhill and Econ Trail. WFTV did see that work underway Wednesday.
“We’ve done a couple of things. We’ve continued to look at our dredging. We’re checking the pond to make sure it can take on water,” Uribe said.
While Orange County says the storm water system is operating as it should, Gretchen Plaisted said the Deerwood neighborhood in Rio Pinar still sees inches of standing water from rainstorms.
“We’re still having issues with the sheer volume of water,” Plaisted said.
The first floor of the Plaisteds’ home had to be completely replaced after flooding from Hurricane Ian in 2022.
Now every time there is a chance for rain Plaisted worries.
“I have some major PTSD when it comes to heavy thunderstorms, it’s insanely stressful,” Plaisted said. “It’s terrifying to think I may have to do it again. We need help.”
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