This county is 75% complete with a flood mitigation project

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County has already hauled out 23,000 dump trucks worth of dirt from the ponds to help minimize flooding during the rainy season.

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The active construction site said there is still some work to do, but it plans to survive the next hurricane season.

Lifelong Orlovista resident Levi Williams recalls the stress of cleanup after Hurricane Ian’s floodwaters overwhelmed her home.

“I’m thinking my house had floated away, that’s just how scared I was,” Williams said.

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Williams said, “I don’t have everything back. I am still missing doors. I need to put doors up. I still need baseboards done. I still need a lot of stuff done.”

It’s still a work in progress, but as hurricane season looms, Williams is one of the many Orlovista neighbors who go to every meeting for updates on the flood mitigation project.

Mike Drozeck from the stormwater management division in Orange County said the $23 million project is nearing the finish line.

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Drozek said the next big step is finishing the excavation next month, which will add more than 10 feet of depth to the three ponds on the construction site.

However, there is a supply chain issue, which means permanent pumps won’t be installed before hurricane season—that’s why the county has authorized more than $600,000 to implement an emergency plan.

Drozeck said, “Once we realized the issue with the supply chain, we knew that we had to provide that level of protection.”

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The city will install four temporary pumps and the permanent pumps should be installed by spring 2025.

Williams said, “I still feel nervous because nothing is ever guaranteed.”

The plan provides Williams with some peace of mind, although she still has a message for Mother Nature: “Please don’t hit us hard. Be easy on us, be very easy on us.”

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