South Brevard residents still under several feet of water, lots not draining: ‘Scares me’

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A flash flood has left South Brevard County families trapped under feet of water for days, forcing residents to navigate submerged driveways in waders alongside alligators while drainage pumps sit idle. 

Residents are worried if more rain comes, their properties will go under.

Brevard County flood crisis

What we know:

Several driveways and properties in the Deer Run neighborhood off St. Johns Heritage Parkway remain submerged following Monday's torrential flash flood. Resident Paula Vargas must put on waders just to cross her flooded driveway and get to her car.

Neighboring properties are facing similar conditions, leaving entire backyards transformed into standing lakes. Valerie Amar Bailey noted that water across her property continued to rise even after the rainfall stopped.

Wildlife and drainage troubles

What they're saying:

Wildlife is moving across submerged properties as standing water lingers throughout the South Brevard neighborhood. Vargas said, "Yesterday there were alligators."

"It scares me," Vargas said. "It scares me because what are we going to do? How much more can his property take?"

Vargas also described the scale of the flooding behind her home. "It’s a lake," Vargas said. "There’s no land back there."

Bailey questioned the county's handling of the storm runoff as wildlife like deer on her property struggled to wade through the water. "Why is the water not moving?" Bailey asked.

Residents typically rely on drainage systems to quickly clear runoff into nearby canals. "The pumps didn’t kick on," Bailey said.

"What is their plan to address situations like this or other possible events?" Bailey asked.

Bailey noted the historic nature of the high-water levels on her land. "It’s never been like this in over 20 years," Bailey said.

Brevard County response efforts

The county's response:

A Brevard County spokesperson explained why emergency pumping measures cannot be deployed immediately. County personnel flew over Deer Run on Thursday to conduct aerial inspections of the submerged streets.

"Until the water recedes, there is no place for that water to go, and we can’t unflood some homes by flooding other homes, so there is no place to pump the water to," the county spokesperson said.

Future weather flooding risks

What we don't know:

Neighbors do not know whether upcoming weather systems will bring additional rain and flood their homes directly. Families in the community also worry about how their horses and farm animals will manage persistent standing water during this El Niño winter.