Orange County

Apopka mayor says flooding fix created more problems, residents wait for new solution

APOPKA, Fla. — Some Apopka residents say they are tired of dealing with high water and flooding issues that forced some people out of their homes.

The first fix attempt by the city, the mayor admits, created more trouble.

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Drains were put in in 2018, three years after some houses in Sheeler Oaks were flooded and had to be rebuilt.

The drains are clogged up now, and don’t really do anything for the flooding. Mayor Bryan Nelson said new pipes should help, but neighbors are still waiting for that to happen.

Read: Residents look to City leaders for help with flooding issues

Resident Dorothy Moore said the drains aren’t making a difference.

“You come out when it rains, the system gets clogged up, water doesn’t go anywhere, it’s backing up in the yard. Anything you put in the yard to decorate your yard, it’s flooding to the neighbor’s house,” she said.

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Nelson admits getting rid of the water hasn’t gone smoothly.

“When we put those in, we created an additional issue,” he said. “Because you got so much water going to the pipes, and the pipes filled up, and it backed up out of the storm drains.”

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The city’s new plan is to add more pipes in Sheeler Oaks. But neighbors say they were told that before.

“To date, I haven’t seen a pipe. Nothing,” Moore said.

Nelson said there’s a backlog on pipes, and that they’ve heard an estimate of 90 to 120 days to get the new pipes.

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Sarah Wilson

Sarah Wilson, WFTV.com

Sarah Wilson joined WFTV Channel 9 in 2018 as a digital producer after working as an award-winning newspaper reporter for nearly a decade in various communities across Central Florida.