Palm Bay homeowners worry about flooding as city falls behind on drainage work
PALM BAY, Fla. - Homeowners in Palm Bay are tired of seeing streets flood when it rains and their yards saturated with water for weeks on end.
The frustration comes as city officials say they’re months behind on drainage projects residents have reached out about, and hundreds of work orders in the city still haven’t been fixed. On several occasions, FOX 35 has seen entire neighborhoods flooded after a rainstorm. But, even when there isn’t rain in weeks, some yards still have standing water.
Neighbors say it’s a safety hazard, and something needs to be done to fix the flooding.
"The drainage system in Palm Bay is an absolute failure. It doesn’t drain. It retains water. It doesn’t move water," said Luis Valdez, who moved to the city two years ago from Miami.
FOX 35 News met this father in his front yard as he walked through standing water up to his calves.
"The water is so deep, I don’t even let my 4-year-old daughter come out to the street and play because I’m afraid of her falling in this stuff," he exclaimed.
Other neighbors living on Mott Street are also living in fear of flooding.
"My nerves are shot because when it rains, this water comes all the way up to the end of my sidewalk," said Joan Bridenbecker.
MORE HEADLINES:
- Disney's Animal Kingdom welcomes new baby African elephant: Meet Corra
- Daytona 500 faces potential weather delay: What are plans if it rains?
- AG Moody emphasizes impact of illicit fentanyl in drug-related deaths
- Disney shares renderings of affordable housing complex before Orange County panel
Bridenbecker and her husband recently spent $11,000 on a new driveway after theirs started sinking into the ground.
"It’s a pain living here right now. If my husband wasn’t disabled, we would move," she said. "That’s how bad it is."
She put in a work order last August, asking the city to come out and inspect her trenches to get rid of standing water near her home. 7 months later, she’s going to the Public Works Department every week asking for an update as she waits.
"No one’s ever come to see me to talk to me about it," said Bridenbecker.
Turns out, she isn’t alone. FOX 35 took these concerns straight to the city.
In a statement, a city spokesperson said: "With the amount of new residents/construction and extremely heavy, not to mention late in the year rain events, there are currently over 800 requests for trenching in the system which as of now is approximately 3-to-4-month backlog."
"Right now, I feel like the city doesn’t care about us. They're more worried about building more homes," concluded Diana Guidice, who isn’t sure what to expect with flooding during hurricane season.
While the city does have a role in this issue, it’s essential to note that homeowners also need to maintain and clean swales on their property. This means replacing pipes under your driveway if necessary.
These homeowners dealing with flooding also had a door hanger left by the Public Works Department on Thursday, telling people the city knows drainage is a problem. In the coming weeks, crews will be on-site to clear trenches and swales. Recently, people have also noticed new orange flags near the drainage pipes and hope something is done soon before it rains again or hurricane season rolls around.