Residents look to City leaders for help with flooding issues

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — People living in three subdivisions around Clear Water Lake near Apopka are dealing with a growing flooding problem.

For residents like Alaina Faiello, it’s a situation that only seems to worsen.

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“It’s been underwater now for a few weeks, but even before then we’ve been notifying the city that the water has been rapidly rising,” Faiello said. “We’re seeing alligators. We’re seeing snakes.”

She says the neighborhood has lost more than 60 trees from flooding and that the community park had to close.

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When residents asked leaders for help, they were told there wasn’t much that could be done.

“They’re saying that evaporation is our only option,” Faiello said.

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The Apopka public services director said in an email: “This is a natural condition situation and no artificial mechanism such as sandbags or pumping can mitigate the existing flooding.”

“We’ve asked for assistance with draining the lake, we’ve asked to have the water reduced in some manner, and we haven’t received any resolution to that question,” Faiello said

Meanwhile, Faiello said she and other residents plan to take their concerns to the City Council on Wednesday, pushing for answers.

See map of location below:

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